Cortes Islanders

Please be advised that the Coastal Fire Centre plans to rescind all remaining Wildfire Act open fire prohibitions and restricted activities effective 12:00 noon Thursday Sept 16th. This applies to all of Cortes Island and means that Category 2 and Category 3 open fires are now permitted throughout the Coastal Fire Centre.

"Category 2 open fire" means an open fire, other than a campfire, that burns:

material in one pile not exceeding 2 m in height and 3 m in width,
material concurrently in 2 piles each not exceeding 2 m in height and 3 m in width, or
stubble or grass over an area that does not exceed 0.2 ha

"Category 3 open fire" means an open fire that burns:

material concurrently in 3 or more piles each not exceeding 2 m in height and 3 m in width,
material in one or more piles each exceeding 2 m in height or 3 m in width,
one or more windrows, or
stubble or grass over an area exceeding 0.2 ha.

Anyone lighting a Category 3 fire must first obtain a burn registration number by calling 1 888 797-1717. These numbers are logged into the Open Fire Tracking System (OFTS) along with details about the registered burn.