The BC (BCCOS) conservation officers service said it delivered almost $ 30,000 in fines to campists for violating the bonfire on the southern coast during the recent long weekend of BC day.
In a publication on social networks, the service said it issued 26 rape tickets, ascending to $ 1,150 each, to campers at the Coastal Fire Center from Friday until Monday.
Calvin Rochon, a Squamish -based conservation officer, said there were 16 tickets delivered in the sea region to sky during the long weekend. In some fires, multiple tickets were issued.
“We have beautiful natural resources here in the province and to maintain them as they are … we need people to respect the restrictions and closures of forest fires,” he told CBC News.
Two rape tickets for people were also issued to access restricted areas near the Wesley Ridge forest fire out of control on Vancouver Island.
“Just being alone in that area is against regulations, and then having the fire, of course, is also against those restrictions,” said Rochon.
He said that the officers were seeing a “high volume of non -compliance” since the bonfire prohibition entered into force on the southern coast on July 17.
The bonfire prohibition does not apply to Haida Gwaii and parts of the central coast, including Bella Coola.
The fires, which are under the fires of category 1, according to the BC forest fire service, are fires that are not more than half a meter at half a meter wide, although outdoor stoves are still allowed under the ban.
“The open fire is the largest cause of fires caused by humans provincially,” said Christi Howes, a fire information officer of the BC Infire Wildfire Service. “Forest fires caused by humans are completely preventable and can divert crucial resources of natural and/or existing forest fires that are responsible for us.”
Howes said that fire prohibitions are useful to reduce the possibilities of more fires caused by humans, especially when firefighters anticipate more fires caused by lightning, or in “critical fire situations” as the province is at this time.
She said firefighters were seeing high seasonal temperatures and historically dry conditions this month.
At a press conference on Wednesday, provincial officials said the rain on the province on Wednesday would only provide a limited respite.
“What it does is restore our conditions, but only on a very micro scale,” said Cliff Chapman, director of Provincial Operations of the BC Infire Wildfire Service, about the rain.
“So we have a couple of days to really use a direct attack in our fires … it gives us the ability to do so, but it does not tear down the danger to the entire province for the rest of the fire season.”
Larger fires already banned
Anyone that violates fire prohibitions could be beaten with a rape ticket of $ 1,150, an administrative fine of up to $ 10,000, or fines of up to $ 100,000 and one year in jail if it is declared guilty in court.
If a forest fire is activated, the responsible person could have to pay all fire fighting costs, what Rochon says it could be hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.
“It is a great risk of public security. Therefore, honestly it is not worth a good time with his friends in the field,” he said. “Just respect regulations and restrictions … until you allow you to have fires again.”
The largest fires of category 2 and category 3, which include larger and large burn batteries, are already prohibited in all BC
Howes said the ban will be in place until October 31, but could be terminated before if there is a lot of rain or lower temperatures.
