Campfire are strictly prohibited on beaches in Kamloops.
(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
March 17, 2014 - 2:26 PM
KAMLOOPS — As the city prepares for a month of open burning officials are reminding people that beach campfires are not allowed, ever.
Sheldon Guertin of Kamloops Fire Rescue is not sure why there's a sudden spike in campfires, but says the warmer weather and spring break may have played a role.
“We had four violations over the weekend, all on the beach,” he says. “We do see them on occasion but not usually to this extent.”
Guertin wants to remind people campfires are never permitted on the beach and if crews respond you could be facing a $500 fine. Even for those wanting to have pit or camp fires in their yards a permit needs to be obtained and strict regulations are in place.
And those fire pits you can buy at the local garden or hardware store?
“Even with a permit you can't have those in the City of Kamloops, they're not CSA rated,” Guertin says.
Backyard burning (small piles of waste from pruning and clipping) will be allowed for the month of April with a $100 permit and only on properties of at least one acre. Venting and time of day will also be taken into consideration. Kamloops Fire still encourages landowners to find another way to dispose of yard waste where possible, like at the Cinnamon Ridge yard waste disposal site.
Guertin says the rules around backyard burning were tightened more than a decade ago because of numerous complaints from neighbours.
“We came up with the one acre rule so it doesn't become a nuisance to neighbours,” he says, adding they try to follow the requirements of forestry as well.
To contact a reporter for this story, email jstahn@infotelnews.ca or call 250-819-3723.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014