Prince George Fire Rescue Service crews were called to more open burning complaints between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31 last year then they responded to in an average year from 2014 to 2018.
In 2021, fire fighters responded to 465 open burning complaints, of which 202 (more than 43 per cent) were between October and Dec. 31. Between 2014 and 2018, crews responded to an average of 175 burning complaints per year, of which between 24 and 49 were in the last three months of the year.
"We've seen a significant increase over the years across Prince George in the number of burning complaints reported during the fall and winter months,” Fire Chief Cliff Warner said in an email.
So far this year, from January up to Nov. 1, fire crews have responded to 371 open burning complaints.
In 2019, Prince George Fire Rescue crews responded to 204 open burning complaints, of which 62 (30 per cent) were between October and December. In 2020, that number was up to 287 open burning complaints, with 89 (31 per cent) reported between October and December.
Prince George Fire Rescue Service respond to open burning complaints reported to the city, usually in response to smoke seen outside, a city spokesperson said in an email.
“Upon arrival, the officer will assess the fire in relation to the Clean Air Bylaw. If the fire is within the rules of the bylaw, the crew allows the owner to continue burning,” the spokesperson said. “If the fire does not meet bylaw rules, the crew will ask the owner/occupant to extinguish, or the crews will extinguish the fire. According to the bylaw, a fire may be deemed non-compliant due to the size of flames, the materials burnt (other than clean dry firewood), or to its location (on public property).”
