Campfires, open burning banned across Coastal Fire Centre starting Thursday

The BC Wildfire Service will implement a ban on all open burning within the Coastal Fire Centre beginning Thursday, May 7 at noon.

The ban includes Category 2 and Category 3 open burning, as well as campfires.

Several activities and types of equipment will also be prohibited when the restrictions take effect in the Coastal Fire Centre, which includes Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.

Prohibited activities and equipment include fireworks, as defined in the Fireworks Act, binary exploding targets and sky lanterns.

Restrictions also apply to wood-fired hot tubs, wood-fired pizza ovens and other wood-fired devices unless they are vented through a structure with a flue incorporated into a building.

Burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description, controlled-air incinerators, air curtain burners and carbonizers are also prohibited.

The BC Wildfire Service said two wildfires were burning on Vancouver Island as of Tuesday, May 5. Both fires are classified as under control or being held and measure less than one hectare in size.

Wylie Henderson
Wylie Henderson
Wylie is news director for Vancouver Island, bringing more than a decade of broadcast experience to the role. A Vancouver native, he moved to the Island in 2025 with his wife and stepdaughter after a long run on the airwaves in the Kootenays. He is committed to delivering timely, reliable and community-focused news to listeners across the region. A lifelong Vancouver Canucks and B.C. Lions fan, Wylie is just as comfortable breaking down a game as he is breaking down a news story. Away from the newsroom, he can often be found on the golf course, cycling or lacing up his skates for a game of hockey. For Wylie, keeping listeners informed about what matters locally is more than a job, it’s a passion.

Continue Reading

cfcp Now playing play

Related Articles

Latest News

Trio of candidates vying to serve as Courtenay mayor

Courtenay voters will see three names on the ballot for mayor on Oct. 17.

Hangar 98 – Episode 16: The Great Victoria Blackout of 1979

During a long power outage in 1979, Victoria became the focal point of a story that has lasted the test of time...and quite possibly led to one of the best memories from one of the island's worst storms.

Hangar 98 – Episode 15: Pachena Point Foghorn Incident

Over on the island's west coast, mariners have been haunted by a coastline nicknamed "The Graveyard of the Pacific", but alone at Pachena Point sits a lighthouse with stories of it's own.

Hangar 98 – Episode 14: Godzilla’s Goldstream Rampage

Hangar 98 opens to Jet Nation revealing a little secret Hollywood's been keeping since they shot Godzilla back in 2014. That secret's buried around Goldstream.

Hangar 98 – Episode 13: The Leechtown Gold Rush

In this featured Hangar 98 Episode, a once bubbling gold rush town near Sooke almost had it all, then it all came crashing down leaving nothing but a piece of land...and possibly hopes of a new 'find' on the island.