VANCOUVER ISLAND, B.C. – The Coastal Fire Centre will not be enforcing a Category 2 open fire burning prohibition in the region this weekend.
However, the centre is monitoring the situation closely.
On Wednesday, Coastal Fire Centre information officer Donna MacPherson said the centre is “coming close” to putting Category 2 and 3 fire bans in place across the region, which includes Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.
Category 2 fires are one to two concurrently burning piles no larger than two metres high by three metres wide, and stubble or grass burning over an area less than 0.2 hectares.
Category 3 fires are any fire larger than two metres high by three metres wide.
It also includes three or more concurrently burning piles no larger than two metres high three metres wide, and stubble or grass burning over an area greater than 0.2 hectares.
However, Coastal Fire Centre information officer Marg Drysdale confirmed on Thursday that a Category 2 open fire burning prohibition will not be in place over the weekend.
“We will be looking at it on Monday,” Drysdale said. “We do expect to have some slightly cooler temperatures, a little bit of a breeze, but we also expect some isolated showers in some areas throughout the coastal fire centre.”
And while no Category 2 ban isn’t being enforced as of yet, Drysdale is reminding people to take extra caution.
“The forest continues to dry,” she said. “If you have any kind of backyard burn, please be very cautious, continue to monitor it, make sure it’s fully extinguished, and take local conditions into account if you are going to be burning.”
As of May 22nd, there have been 30 fires to date in the region.
2018 was the worst wildfire season in B.C. history.
