Category 1 Campfire Prohibition
Effective at 1 p.m. MST, Thursday, July 23, 2026, Category 1 campfires will be prohibited throughout the Southeast Fire Centre to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety. This includes the City of Kimberley. This campfire prohibition will remain in effect until 1 p.m. MST on October 31, 2026, or until the order is rescinded.
A Category 1 campfire means a fire that is:
- No larger than 0.5 metres in height and 0.5 metres in width.
- Used for recreational purposes or by a First Nation for ceremonial purposes.
Also prohibited is the use of:
- Air curtain burners
- Carbonizers
- Fireworks as defined in the Fireworks Act of BC
- Binary exploding targets
- Burn barrels or burn cages or any size or description
- Controlled air incinerators
- Sky lanterns
- Wood fired hot tubs, wood fired pizza ovens, and other wood fired devices unless vented through a structure that has a flue and is incorporated in a building.
A reminder that Category 2 open fires have been prohibited since July 10, 2026, and Category 3 open fires have been prohibited since May 21, 2026.
Anyone found in contravention of an open fire prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of $10,000 or, if convicted in court, fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to one year in jail. If the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.
Learn more here: https://blog.gov.bc.ca/bcwildfire/category-1-campfire-to-be-prohibited-…
or, more importantly, for play!
