Image Credit: FACEBOOK/Conservation Officer Service
August 16, 2021 - 1:16 PM
A person having a campfire in the Merritt area was spotted by RCMP and conservation officers on patrol in the Merritt area recently and handed a ticket.
A campfire ban is currently in effect for most of B.C.
The campfire was spotted by RCMP and Merritt conservation officers while they were conducting evacuation orders and alerts in the community, according to a BC Conservation Officer Service Facebook post.
The campfire was put out and the person received a ticket.
People violating the campfire ban can be issued $1,150 tickets, may be forced to pay a penalty of up to $10,000 or, if convicted in court, fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to one year in jail.
The City of Merritt is currently on an evacuation alert and Lower Nicola was evacuated last night due to an encroaching wildfire.
In B.C., the B.C. Wildfire Service has responded to 1,515 wildfires this year. A total of 767,302 hectares has burned in the province, with the majority of fires being located in the Kamloops Fire Centre. The centre has seen a total of 409,796 ha burned, according to the province.
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