Burn Authorization Application & Process

NOTE: OPEN BURNING NOW ALLOWED

Burn Authorization applications are required for the following fire protection areas: Kaleden, Naramata, Okanagan Falls, Anarchist, and Willowbrook. Residents within these five fire protection areas are required to complete a Burn Authorization application. There is no fee and no permits will be issued. Your request will be directed to your selected fire department. From that point, you will be dealing directly with your local fire department.

CLICK HERE to access the Burn Authorization application

CLICK HERE to access the Public Parcel Viewer (select FireDistrictBoundary in the Layer List)

Locations outside the Fire District Boundary are under the jurisdiction of the Province of B.C.

The RDOS is reminding residents to review burning regulations before completing the Burn Authorization application. It’s important for property owners to consider their neighbours and the environment before burning. You may want to look at other options such as chipping or taking material to the landfill.

If your property is outside one of these fire protection service areas, please contact your Municipality or the Ministry of Forests at 1-888-797-1717 to obtain an open air burning permit. Report illegal burning to your local fire authority or R.A.P.P. (Report All Poachers & Polluters) 1-877-952-7277.

Burning authorization holders must confirm burning is allowed on that day by checking the Air Quality and Venting Index. Call 250-490-4125.

CLICK HERE to view today’s Venting Index

The Okanagan Valley and Similkameen Valley often experience weather systems called inversions. An inversion makes the airshed susceptible to the build up of air contaminants that impact human health, visibility, and the environment.

Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen Bylaw No. 2898, 2020
A bylaw to regulate open burning within the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen Fire Protection Areas. 

CLICK HERE to view the bylaw

NOTE: OPEN BURNING IS NOT PERMITTED APRIL 15 TO OCTOBER 15 EACH YEAR.

Kamloops Fire Centre to extend open burning prohibition

The BC Wildfire Service will be extending the Category 2 and 3 open fire prohibition throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre’s jurisdiction that was set to expire on Oct. 15, 2022. This prohibition is being extended to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety due to continued unseasonably warm and dry conditions.

This prohibition will remain in effect until 12:00 p.m. (noon) on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, or until rescinded. Note that this date may be extended at the discretion of the Fire Chief in a specific fire protection district, as per RDOS Bylaw No. 2898, 2020, Part III-Burning Season. The need for open burning prohibitions is continually assessed based on current and forecasted conditions and resource availability.

As an added precaution, note that open burning season is postponed until Tuesday, November 15, 2022, within the five Regional District Fire Protection Areas of Anarchist Mountain, Kaleden, Naramata, Okanagan Falls, and Willowbrook. 

The following equipment and activities remain prohibited throughout Kamloops Fire Centre:

• Category 2 open fire as defined in the Wildfire Regulation
• Category 3 open fire as defined in the Wildfire Regulation
• Fireworks
• Sky Lanterns
• Burn Barrels or Burn Cages of any size or description, except when used for a campfire as defined by the Wildfire Regulation, and
• Binary Exploding Targets

A map of the affected area is available online at: http://ow.ly/niza50L8CGb

These prohibitions apply to all public and private land within the Kamloops Fire Centre jurisdiction, unless specified otherwise in an enactment (e.g. in a local government bylaw).

This prohibition does not ban campfires that are a half-metre high by a high-metre wide or smaller and does not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane, or briquettes. While the Kamloops Fire Centre is seeing shorter days and increased overnight recoveries and relative humidity, the public is encouraged to exercise caution with any campfire use or activity that could potentially spark a wildfire. It is the individual’s responsibility to ensure that burning is done in a safe and responsible manner.

Before lighting a campfire, the public is encouraged to check with local government authorities to ensure there are no restrictions in place. Wildfire prevention is a shared responsibility. Human-caused wildfires are completely preventable and divert critical resources away from lightning-caused wildfires.

To learn more about the different categories of open burning, visit the Open Burning webpage.

Anyone found in contravention of an open burning prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $10,000 or, if convicted in court, fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to one year in jail. If the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.

The Kamloops Fire Centre would like to thank the public for its continuing help in preventing wildfires. To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cell phone. For up-to-date information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, call 1 888 3-FOREST or visit: www.bcwildfire.ca

People can follow the latest wildfire news:

• on the free BC Wildfire Service public mobile app, available for Apple (iOS) and Android devices
• on Twitter: twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo
• on Facebook: facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo