With fires already popping up around the province, Castlegar fire chief Sam Lattanzio is reminding residents that burning yard and garden waste within city limits is not allowed.
The fire department was called out to a number of prohibited fires in the last week, including a large bonfire and someone burning off their grass.
The fines for burning range from $300 to $500 plus service fees in the hundreds of dollars per hour if the fire department is called out to extinguish a prohibited fire.
Yard and garden waste can be taken to the recycling area at the Castlegar Community Complex. In addition, the city will be collecting yard waste curbside on April 8 and May 7 in north Castlegar and on April 10 and May 8 in south Castlegar.
Lattanzio says some people get confused because burning is allowed in areas of the RDCK such as Ootischenia. But burning is banned in any area within the boundaries of the city’s jurisdiction, including more rural properties on the edges of town.
The only burning allowed in town is campfires, and those have a very strict definition and set of rules. To start with, they cannot be any more than one metre high or wide. They should only contain clean, dry firewood with no prohibited materials. They must be contained within a fire pit or ring a minimum of three metres from any structure, fence, property line, power line or power pole.
Prohibited materials include demolition waste, household garbage, any wood that has been painted or treated with chemicals, fuel, fuel containers and whole pallets.
A competent adult must be at the fire until it is completely extinguished and must have adequate fire-suppression supplies and water.
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betsy.kline@castlegarnews.com
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