Campfires will be prohibited starting Thursday at noon PT in much of the B.C. Interior, as a sweltering week for the province has resulted in spiking fire danger.
The B.C. Wildfire Service says that campfires will be banned in the Cariboo and Kamloops fire centres, which encompasses much of the central and southern Interior.
It comes as the region, and nearly all of B.C., is showing a high or extreme fire danger as a ridge of high pressure has resulted in hot temperatures throughout the province, including some areas that recorded above 40 C on Tuesday.
“Camping is a long-standing tradition in this province. The B.C. government recognizes that people also enjoy having campfires, so it takes any decision to implement a campfire ban very seriously,” reads a statement from the wildfire service.
“Wildfire prevention is a shared responsibility. Human-caused wildfires are completely preventable and divert critical resources away from lightning-caused wildfires.”
The fire danger map shows a high or extreme fire danger for much of B.C. on Aug. 27. (B.C. Wildfire Service)
Campfires — which fall under Category 1 fires, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service — are fires that are no more than half a metre high by half a metre wide, though outdoor stoves will still be allowed under the campfire ban.
Anyone breaching the ban could be hit with a $1,150 violation ticket, an administrative penalty of up to $10,000, or fines of up to $100,000 and one year in jail if convicted in court.
Larger Category 2 and Category 3 fires — which include larger stubble fires and large burn piles — are already prohibited throughout B.C.
Campfires have been prohibited on the South Coast since July 16, and some campers in the region were handed nearly $30,000 in fines for flouting the ban last month.
The campfire ban for the Kamloops Fire Centre — which includes the Okanagan Valley and Kelowna — will last until at least Oct. 17, unless officials rescind it earlier.
Meanwhile, the ban for the Cariboo Fire Centre, including Williams Lake and 100 Mile House, will last at least until Sept. 11.
WATCH | Thousands in fines handed out for campfire ban violations: 
Conservation officers issue thousands of dollars worth of fines over B.C. Day long weekend
Dozens of people across B.C. have a ticket burning in their pockets. Conservation officers say they handed out tens of thousands of dollars worth of tickets for violating campfire bans over the B.C. Day long weekend. CBC’s Dan Burritt spoke with reporter Renée Lukacs about the flurry of fines.
Emelie Peacock, a fire information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service, said it was the first time this season that campfire bans were going into place in the Cariboo and Kamloops fire centres.
“We’ve luckily had, you know, precipitation and we’ve had lower than … [normal] fire weather indices in these centres,” she told CBC News.
“However, with this ongoing hot and dry spell, incoming lightning forecast, the fire centres have made the decision that now is the time to enact these prohibitions.”
Thus far in the 2025 B.C. wildfire season, the number of human-caused wildfires is nearly equal to that caused by lightning.
On Wednesday afternoon, however, there were far more lightning-caused fires burning in the province, with 46 active wildfires caused by lightning and 17 caused by human activity.
Heat warnings in place
Environment Canada has maintained heat warnings for the inland sections of the B.C. north and central coasts, as well as the South Thompson and Fraser Canyon regions of B.C.
Some of those regions saw record temperatures on Tuesday amid the hot spell in much of the province, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Both Lytton and Lillooet recorded temperatures above 40 C on Tuesday, according to officials, with the mercury hitting 41.3 C in Lytton.
In Vernon, located in the Okanagan area, a temperature of 37.2 C was recorded on Tuesday, breaking a maximum temperature record for that day set in 1916.