Explosive used in firearms practice have been banned in the Kamloops Fire Centre region after growing concerns about their contribution to wildfires.
Binary exploding targets are homemade or pre-packaged explosives that are used so a shooter can see from a distance whether or not the target was hit, said Kelsey Winter, fire information officer.
“There have been three incidents in the Kamloops Fire Centre this year where the use of binary exploding targets is believed to have caused a wildfire,” said Winter. “They cause flames and sparks, so if it’s dry enough for fuels, they can cause a wildfire,”
The Kamloops Fire Centre stretches from Blue River, north of Kamloops, to the U.S. border.
This is the first time the targets have been banned here.
“Our goal is to reduce the number of human-caused wildfires and make sure we have the resources available to fight the naturally occurring ones.”
On average, half of the annual wildfires are human-caused and half are lightning caused, said Winter.
“We don’t need to have humans causing wildfires when we should be focusing on the ones we can’t prevent.”
The prohibition covers all British Columbia parks, Crown lands and private lands, but it does not apply within the boundaries of a local government that has forest fire protection bylaws in place and is serviced by a fire department.
The prohibition will remain in place until Oct. 15, or until further notice.
Anyone found in contravention of a burning prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of $10,000 or fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to one year in jail.
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