Current Burn Status
Effective at noon (PDT) on Thursday, July 17, 2025
Campfires are prohibited throughout the Shawnigan Lake Improvement District. These prohibitions apply to all public and private land.
CAMPFIRE BAN IS IN EFFECT.
Category 1 campfires, Category 2 open fires, and Category 3 open fires are all prohibited.
These restrictions will remain in place until further notice. The graphic below explains the different categories of open burning and applicable regulations.
Enforcement
Enforcement of fire prohibitions is undertaken by:
- The Compliance and Enforcement Branch of the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development;
- The Conservation Officer Service; and
- The RCMP
All illegal fires will be investigated, and charges may be laid under the Wildfire Act or Wildfire Regulation, depending on the outcome of the investigation.
Anyone found in contravention of an open burning prohibition may be issued a violation ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of $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.
To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, call 1-800-663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cellphone.
