Any open burning must be continuously attended for the duration of the fire by the property owner or a competent person appointed by the property owner. It is his or her legal obligation to tend the fire and to ensure it is extinguished upon completion. Any fire may be ordered to be extinguished if it is deemed to be a hazard by a fire chief or fire chief representative.

All costs incurred for extinguishing a fire may be charged to the property owner if the fire resulted from carelessness or a disregard of the burning regulations. 

As of February 1, 1999, the rules for some outdoor burning changed in B.C. For complete information on the provincial burning laws and how to burn safely, brochures are available at all forest service, government agents and civic government offices. Also check with your Ministry of Environment office regarding smoke management requirements and consider all of the alternatives to burning.

Copies of the brochures are also available on the BC Forest Service Protection Program web site: http://bcwildfire.ca 

To inquire about campfire/burning restrictions on Crown land and in parks:
Contact B.C. Ministry of Forests Protection Branch @ 1-888-336-7378.