Maple Ridge Fire Rescue has issued a city-wide fire ban effective Friday, May 17 at 12:00 p.m. in line with the provincial fire ban to help reduce wildfire risk and for public safety.

The ban applies to Category 2 and Category 3 open fires. The following activities are prohibited in Maple Ridge:

·  Fireworks
·  Sky Lanterns
·  Binary Exploding Targets
·  Burn Barrels or Burn Cages of any size or description
·  Air Curtain Burners

This ban does not apply to:

·  Using CSA-rated or ULC-rated barbeques, camping-type stoves, or portable campfire apparatus using camping gas, natural gas/propane, or briquette barbeques, on private property.
·  Category 1 campfires that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide or smaller. Anyone lighting a campfire must maintain a fireguard by removing flammable debris from around the campfire area and have a hand tool or at least eight litres of water nearby to extinguish the fire properly.

The fire ban will remain in place until lifted by the Fire Department.

Any person found contravening the fire ban will be liable for a fine of up to $1150.

For more summer fire safety information and resources visit mapleridge.ca/wildfire.

For more information on the provincial fire ban visit gov.bc.ca/fireban

For additional information, contact
Dave Samson, Fire Chief (Interim)
T 604-476-3053
E dsamson@mapleridge.ca