Northern Rockies opens burn permit applications with wildfire season on horizon

FORT NELSON, B.C — The Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) is now accepting burn permit applications as wildfire season approaches.

According to a recent social media post from the NRRM, burn permits issued by the municipality will be required for all category two and three open burning in the region.

Burn permits are required in order to protect the region from wildfires, since Fort Nelson has been evacuated due to wildfires as recently as last May.

Category two fires are burns that include one to two piles of material, with a combined size of two metres in height and three metres in width. Grass burns in areas smaller than 0.2 hectares also qualify as category two fires.

Category three fires, meanwhile, are blazes that feature three or more burning piles at once, one pile larger than two metres tall and three metres wide, or grass burns in areas greater than 0.2 hectares. 

Windrows – long rows of cut hay or other small grain crops – being burned in lines shorter than 200 metres also qualify as category three.

Category three burns must also be registered with the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS), in order to track them and reduce the amount of time wasted on false wildfire reports.

Larger fires than these, called category four burns or “prescribed fires,” are regulated differently than smaller burns like these. The provincial government’s website has more details.

NRRM residents can apply for a burn permit by calling the Fort Nelson Fire Hall’s non-emergency line at 250-774-3955 or by visiting the fire hall at 5013 Cordova Way.

Category three burns can be registered by calling BCWS at 1-888-797-1717, or by emailing the organization.