No plans for early campfire bans despite unseasonably hot, dry weather: wildfire service

KAMLOOPS (NEWS 1130) – It’s unseasonably hot and dry, but will that have an impact on when we see a campfire ban?

For the time being, the provincial wildfire service says there are no plans to bring in a campfire ban just yet, however, with May-Long less than two weeks away, you’ll want to be mindful if your plans take you into the great outdoors.

“Particularly the western part of the province is already in a moderate-to-high fire danger rating,” Kevin Skrepnek with the B.C. Wildfire Service says. “That’s going to fluctuate every day, but given the weather forecast, really, it has nowhere to go but up at this point.”

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Despite this, he notes it is still spring. While temperatures are up, well above normal across B.C., he adds the situation is being monitored.

“Even larger open fires are allowed right now,” Skrepnek says. “If we were to see this weather system persist for longer, certainly we’d start entertaining those thoughts. Definitely, no consideration of a campfire ban on the horizon at this point and realistically that is more so something that we’d be looking at typically in late June-early July.”

Of course, if conditions change, he says that could change.

Last year, the campfire ban for Sea-to-Sky Country and other areas nearby started on July 18.

Skrepnek says it’s still too soon to say whether it’ll be earlier this summer.