07/09/2026
For Immediate Release
July 7, 2026
Ministry of Forests
BC Wildfire Service
Category 1 Campfire Prohibition planned for the Kamloops Fire Centre
KAMLOOPS – Effective at 12:00 noon Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on Friday July 10, 2026 Category 1 campfires will be prohibited throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety. This campfire prohibition will remain in effect until October 9, 2026 at 12:00 noon PDT, or until the orders are rescinded.
A map of the affected area is available here
As of Friday July 10 at noon, the following open fires are prohibited in the Kamloops Fire Centre
Category 1 campfires as defined in the Wildfire Regulation;
Category 2 open fire as defined in the Wildfire Regulation; and,
Category 3 open fire as defined in the Wildfire Regulation.
A campfire is defined as:
Any fire no larger than 0.5 metres high by 0.5 metres wide (a fire larger than this is considered a Category 2 fire).
Used by any person for recreational purposes or by a First Nation for a ceremonial purpose.
The Category 2 and 3 open fire prohibition information can be found here.
In addition to these open fire prohibitions, the following activities, materials and equipment also remain restricted:
Air curtain burners
Carbonizers
Binary exploding targets
Fireworks, as defined in the Fireworks Act of BC
Burn barrels or burn cages of 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.
For more information on the legal prohibition please view the Wildfire Acts and Regulations.
This prohibition applies to all areas in the Fire Centre that are outside of municipal boundaries. In addition, this prohibition applies to the following types of land within municipal boundaries:
parks, conservancies and recreation areas (Park Act);
recreation sites, recreation trails, interpretive forest sites and trail-based recreation areas (Forest and Range Practices Act);
ecological reserves (Ecological Reserve Act);
wildlife management areas (Wildlife Act); and
private managed forest land (Private Managed Forest Land Act).
Municipalities often follow BC Wildfire Service prohibitions or may impose different prohibitions based on conditions in their local area. If you are in a municipality, be sure to check if local prohibitions are in place. If you are within a regional district or improvement district, this prohibition applies as well as any local prohibition issued by the regional district or improvement district. BC Parks follows BC Wildfire Service prohibitions.
Anyone found in contravention of an open burning prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $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.
This prohibition does not include the use of outdoor stoves. As per the Wildfire Regulation, an outdoor stove is a CSA-rated or ULC-rated device used outdoors for cooking, heat or ambiance that burns charcoal briquettes, liquid fuel or gaseous fuel, and has a flame height that is less than 15 cm tall.
Camping is a long-standing tradition in this province. The B.C. government recognizes that people also enjoy having campfires, so it takes any decision to implement a campfire ban very seriously. Wildfire prevention is a shared responsibility. Human-caused wildfires are completely preventable and divert critical resources away from lightning-caused wildfires.
The Kamloops Fire Centre would like to thank the public for its continuing help in preventing wildfires. To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, please use the reporting function in the BC Wildfire Service mobile app and include a photo, call 1 800 663 5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cell phone. For up-to-date information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories please download the BC Wildfire Service mobile app or visit: www.bcwildfire.ca.
People can follow the latest wildfire news:
on the free BC Wildfire Service app, available for Apple (iOS) and Android devices
on Facebook
Contact:
Fire Information Officer
BC Wildfire Service
Kamloops Fire Centre
250-554-5965
The BC Wildfire Service employs approximately 1,600 seasonal personnel each year, including firefighters, dispatchers and other seasonal positions.
