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**With files from the BC Wildfire Service

Castlegar, BC (July 20, 2026) -- Effective at 12:00 noon Pacific Time (1pm MT) on Thursday, July 23, 2026, Category 1 campfire will be prohibited throughout the Southeast Fire Centre which includes the City of Cranbrook, which also includes the Rocky Mountain Natural Resource District and the Selkirk Natural Resource District. This prohibition is being enacted to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.

This campfire ban also includes any and all backyard campfires within the City of Cranbrook limits.

Anyone conducting a Category 1 campfire within the Southeast Fire Centre's jurisdiction must extinguish it by the 12:00 noon Pacific Time (1pm MT), July 23, 2026, deadline.

This prohibition will remain in place until October 31, 2026, or until the order is rescinded.

A Category 1 campfire is a fire that burns:
1.    No larger than 0.5 metres in height and 0.5 metres in width
2.    Used for recreational purposes or by a First Nation for ceremonial purposes

Also prohibited is the equipment and activities listed below (Wildfire Act, Section 12):
•    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

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. 

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 for up to one year in jail.

If your fire causes or contributes to a wildfire, you may be fined up to $1 million and/or sentenced to up to 3 years in jail, as well as be responsible for all firefighting and associated costs. More information about the Wildfire Act and Regulation is available online.

The Southeast Fire Centre would like to thank the public for its continuing help in preventing wildfires. Report a wildfire, unattended campfire, or open burning violation by:
•    Dialing *5555 on a cell phone
•    Calling 1 800 663-5555 toll-free