Following the direction from the Kamloops Fire Centre, the municipality of Summerland is prohibiting campfires.
Summerland fire chief Rob Robinson said the prohibition of campfires will take effect on July 12 at noon, the same time as the regional campfire prohibition.
The ban affects campfires, but not cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes.
Those found violating the fire ban may be issued a ticket up up to $2,000. If the violation causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be responsible for all firefighting and associated costs.
Motor vehicle access to Giant’s Head Mountain Park in Summerland has not yet been restricted, but Robinson said firefighters are monitoring the park and the grasses to determine if there is a fire risk there.
So far this year, Summerland firefighters have responded to one abandoned campfire in the Trapper’s Flats area at the western edge of the municipality, at the end of April. That fire was less than three metres by three metres, he added.
The wet spring in May and June is likely a factor in the low wildfire activity in Summerland and the surrounding area, Robinson said.
However, fires have been burning province-wide. Since the wildfire season began on April 1, at least 356 wildfires have been started, destroying more than 471,000 hectares. Most of the land burned has been in the Prince George Fire Centre area, in northeastern British Columbia.
According to the BC Wildfire Service, close to two-thirds of the wildfires in the province have been human-caused this year.
The amount of land burned so far this year is greater than the 20-year average of land burned during an entire wildfire season.