Members of the Sasamat Volunteer Fire Department were shaking their heads in disbelief Tuesday night after being called to an Anmore home, which backs on to Belcarra Regional Park, where the residents were enjoying a back yard bonfire.
The group claimed to not be aware of the fire ban and were not impressed when fire fighters asked them to put it out, said SVFD Chief Jay Sharpe.
"They thought the fire ban was only for public land, so we explained to them that fires don't differentiate between public and private land when they get out of control," Sharpe said. "So we asked them to put it out right away before we put it out for them."
Campfires are permitted in Anmore but only with a permit obtained from the village hall; when a fire ban is put in place those with permits are contacted and told they are no longer valid. Sharpe said the residents burning last night had an expired permit.
The home backs on to the back side of Belcarra Regional Park, making the situation particularly dangerous and frustrating, Sharpe said.
"The good thing is at least it was in a proper fire pit, and in an area of the yard where it was set up to have a campfire, but that was the only good thing," said Sharpe. "The fact they had a campfire and claimed to not know there was a fire ban, to me that was kind of incredulous that anybody would say that."
It's not the first time the volunteer fire department has responded since the warm weather set in.
Sharpe said they've been called up to Pinnacle Ridge as recently as a month ago, an area where young people like to set up fires to enjoy the outstanding views.
"They have a fire in the bush because they think nobody can see it, but you can actually see it for miles," Sharpe said, noting the Anmore fire Tuesday night was also visible from Port Moody.
No fines were issued to the group because they did put out the fire but Sharpe said the SVFD can charge more than $1,000 for a service call and levy a municipal ticket of $173.
A post on the SVFD's Facebook page notes that there have been more than 1,200 forest fires reported since April 1, more than double the amount reported in the same time period last year, with three of them — all caused by humans — in Anmore.
Additional info from the SVFD includes:
• On average, about 40% of forest fires are caused by people.
• Anyone who damages Crown forest or grassland through arson or recklessness can be fined up to $1 million or be sentenced to three years in prison.
• If a contravention of the Wildfire Act causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be ordered to pay all of the firefighting and associated costs.
• Failure to abide by the Wildfire Act, including open burning restrictions (such as we currently have), may result in a $345 fine, an administrative penalty of $10,000 or, if convicted in court, a fine of up to $100,000 and/or one year in jail.
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