Despite North Cowichan lifting the campfire ban, it doesn’t look like the open burning ban will be lifted anytime soon.
Lifting an open burning ban is dependent on the weather and with nearly no precipitation in the months of July and August, more rain needs to fall before the ban is rescinded.
Mike Dunn is the local assistant to the Fire Commissioner and he says people need to check four boxes before burning.
“You want to make sure you know if there is a fire ban in place, if you need a permit (if your property is in the urban containment boundary and more than two acres, you need a permit), is there a current burning window open, and the number one thing is venting index,” said Dunn. “The venting index must be good.”
There are two scheduled open burning windows in the municipality, one from March 15 – April 15, the other runs from September 15 – October 15.
Dunn said whenever the ban is lifted, it will remain in effect through November.
“What we’re going to do is, we’re going to stick with the same dates that are in our Fire Protection Bylaw,” said Dunn. “So, whenever it’s lifted, it will be until November 30.”
More information on open burning restrictions is available here.
To check the venting index, click here.
