05/19/2026
From BC Wildfire Service: Category 3 open fire to be prohibited in the Southeast Fire Centre
**All rural areas of the RDEK outside of incorporated municipalities follow these provincial prohibitions. Municipal residents should check with their municipal office to determine if there are any additional bylaws.
City of Cranbrook will follow the provincial ban and restrictions.
Information Bulletin: Category 3 prohibition coming to the Southeast Fire Centre
Effective at 1:00 PM MT on Thursday, May 21, 2026, Category 3 open fire will be prohibited throughout the Southeast Fire Centre, including the Rocky Mountain Natural Resource District and the Selkirk Natural Resource District. This prohibition is being enacted to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.
Anyone conducting Category 3 open fires within the Southeast Fire Centre's jurisdiction must extinguish those fires by 1:00 PM MT on May 21, 2026.
This prohibition will remain in place until 1:00 PM MT, October 31, 2026, or until the order is rescinded.
This prohibition does not include Category 1 campfire or Category 2 open fire.
A Category 3 open fire is a fire that burns:
• Material concurrently in 3 or more piles, each not exceeding 2 metres in height and 3 metres in width
• Material in one or more piles, each exceeding 2 metres in height and 3 metres in width
• One or more windrows each not exceeding 200 metres in length or 15 metres in width
• Stubble or grass over an area exceeding 0.2 hectares
You can find the PDF poster for Category 3 open fire here.
In addition to Category 3 open fires, the following equipment and activities will also be prohibited:
• Air curtain burners
• Carbonizers
This prohibition applies to all areas in the Southeast Fire Centre that are outside of municipal boundaries.
Please read the FULL news release and find a map of the affected area here: https://tinyurl.com/5n8pzbjc
City of Cranbrook
BC Wildfire Service