Vancouver/Chilliwack/Abbotsford – (with files from News 1130) –Yes, there has to be a reminder, because sometimes the heat evaporates common sense.
Despite the change in the weather, it’s still dangerously dry around the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley. Anyone caught flicking lit or smoldering cigarette butts can be fined $173.
Fire information officer Ellie Dupont says the fines don’t stop there. “Anyone who causes damage to a crown forest or grassland through arson or recklessness can be fined up to $1 million and or spend up to three years in prison. Such a person could be held responsible for all firefighting costs as well.”
Dupont believes it’s simply careless behaviour. “A lot of people don’t understand that when they throw their cigarette butt out it’s more than likely to start a fire if it falls into any kind of flammable material.”
You could also be hit with a $345 ticket for having a campfire during burning restrictions. Campfire bans are still in effect.
