Vancouver parks fire risk reaching extreme

The Vancouver Park Board says it will elevate the fire hazard rating in all Vancouver parks to extreme by the end of the week, in response to the prolonged dry, hot weather.

Board chair Aaron Jasper said an extreme fire rating means no smoking in any parks, and no charcoal or wood fueled barbecues.

"The indications I have been getting from our staff is with this weather, with the forecast that we are seeing here, by the end of the week we will be bumping up to extreme," said Jasper.

The extreme fire risk rating is actually determined by the Metro Vancouver Regional District and it is expected most municipalities in the region would also follow the same measures.

"Once we do get into extreme there will be zero tolerance for the barbecues and the smoking. We find that in past years people are very sensitive to that and are quite compliant with the rules," he said.

Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services spokesman Charles Mulder says many people don't seem to understand how high the fire risk is, and firefighers are still finding cigarette butts in Stanley Park.

"People are still making mistakes and not putting out their cigarettes properly, or just by smoking in the park," said Mulder.

On September 1, a new bylaw comes into effect banning smoking on all of Vancouver's parks and beaches.

The past month has been on of the driest July's on record across much of B.C. and the provincial fire danger ratings are already at extreme or high for most Crown land in the province.

About 29 significant forest fires are currently burning across the province and campfire and open fire bans come in effect for Crown land in most areas of the province on Thursday, except the Kootenay Region and the extreme west coast of Vancouver Island.