Campfires are prohibited in 3 of BC's 6 fire centres right now. A prohibition applies to everyone in the area it covers, including campgrounds and backcountry sites.
Prohibited here: Category 1 campfires, Category 2 open fires, Category 3 open fires · in effect since July 22, 2026.
Official BCWS bulletinProhibited here: Category 1 campfires, Category 2 open fires, Category 3 open fires · in effect since July 16, 2026.
This centre has 2 prohibition areas that do not all cover the same categories, so what is banned depends on where you are inside it. The bulletin has the boundaries.
Official BCWS bulletinA fire no larger than 0.5 metres high by 0.5 metres wide, used for cooking, warmth, recreation or Indigenous cultural and ceremonial purposes. This is the one that affects almost every camper.
An open fire burning material in one or two piles no larger than 2 metres high by 3 metres wide, or burning stubble or grass over an area no larger than 0.2 hectares.
An open fire burning material in three or more piles, in piles larger than 2 metres high by 3 metres wide or in stubble or grass over an area larger than 0.2 hectares. Mostly land clearing and industry, not camping.
Sizes come from the BC Wildfire Regulation. A prohibition on one category does not imply the others: a centre can ban Category 3 open fires while campfires stay legal.
Campfires are currently prohibited in the Cariboo Fire Centre, Coastal Fire Centre, Kamloops Fire Centre. Some centres apply the ban to only part of their area, so check the official bulletin for the boundary.
Every fire centre currently has at least one BC Wildfire Service prohibition in effect.
A fire no larger than 0.5 metres high by 0.5 metres wide, used for cooking, warmth, recreation or Indigenous cultural and ceremonial purposes. Anything bigger is a Category 2 or Category 3 open fire.
Usually yes. BC Wildfire Service allows CSA-rated or ULC-rated cooking stoves and portable campfire apparatus burning briquettes, liquid fuel or gaseous fuel, as long as the flame stays under 15 centimetres. A wood-burning fire pit is not exempt.
Yes. A BC Wildfire Service prohibition applies to everyone within the area it covers, including provincial parks, recreation sites and backcountry campsites. Parks can also impose their own bans when the province has not.
No. The BC Wildfire Service is one authority among several. Municipalities, regional districts, Indigenous governments and park operators all set their own fire rules, and those can be stricter than the provincial prohibition. Confirm with the campground or local government before lighting a fire.
Prohibitions are read from the BC Wildfire Service bans and prohibition areas layer and grouped by fire centre. We are not the authority on any of it: boundaries, exemptions and the exact wording live in the official bulletin for each centre, linked above. For active fires and evacuation notices, see BC wildfires near campsites.
Prohibited here: Category 1 campfires, Category 2 open fires, Category 3 open fires · in effect since July 10, 2026.
Official BCWS bulletinProhibited here: Category 3 open fires · in effect since August 29, 2026.
Official BCWS bulletinProhibited here: Category 2 open fires, Category 3 open fires · in effect since August 20, 2026.
Official BCWS bulletinProhibited here: Category 2 open fires, Category 3 open fires · in effect since September 1, 2026.
Official BCWS bulletin