Check your Winter Burn Piles

Please revisit your winter burn piles before the start of the 2024 wildfire season.

Due to the current dry conditions and lack of moisture on the ground since last fall, there is an increased chance that winter burn piles will continue to burn under the snow and re-emerge as forest fires in the spring.

For anyone who did any burning over winter, please check all sites, spreading out the remaining materials and soaking the area to ensure no more heat is being produced. Continue to check burn sites at regular intervals in the lead up to spring to confirm they have not reignited.

Fire safety matters year-round.

Before conducting any winter burning, take the time to properly prepare your burn site. Know the requirements needed to be successful during your burn and how to properly extinguish your site.

Winter burns should be conducted in areas with sufficient snow cover of more than 15 cm, and burns must be monitored the entire time. Ensure smoke warning signs are in place before burning within half a mile (800 m) of a roadway. 

Build it right. Brush piles or debris should be free of soil, built to a maximum height of 3 m, and with a fireguard or cleared land around to stop the spread of fire.

Only burn what you can control, with the people and equipment you have available, and always adjust your burning according to weather conditions.

If a burn should escape, immediately report it to 310-FIRE.

Wildfire safety is a combined effort, and we can't do it without your help!