The City of Penticton is temporarily banning fires in the city, starting at noon Friday.

Until further notice, all open burning, including campfires and, fireworks, will be prohibited inside city boundaries.

Penticton is experiencing hot and dry conditions and fire danger ratings are generally high or extreme throughout the city, prompting city hall to issue the ban, to protect public safety and to limit the risk of human-caused wildfires.

The ban includes the beach firepits, which will be decommissioned for the duration of the ban.

Specifically, the ban includes campfires; the burning of waste or other materials, stubble or grass fires of any size over any area; the use of fireworks, sky lanterns, tiki torches, chimineas; burning barrels or burning cages of any size or description; the use of binary exploding targets (e.g., for target practice); the use of air curtain burners (forced air burning systems)

This ban does not restrict fires in cooking stoves using gas, propane or briquettes, or to a portable campfire apparatus with a CSA or ULC rating (providing the flame height does not exceed 15 centimeters) but does restrict fires in portable wood-burning fireplaces and campfires.

Anyone found in violation of an open fire ban, including campfires or backyard fires, may be fined. Anyone who causes a wildfire through arson or recklessness may also be fined up to $1 million, spend up to three years in prison and be held accountable for associated firefighting costs.