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WILDFIRE ALERT IN SAYWARD – NEWCASTLE CREEK AREA.

If you are not in the area, please avoid visiting Sayward at this time.  Currently there are no critical infrastructure or residential homes impacted or at risk. Fire is believed to be human-caused.

Updates will be sent out as our regional Emergency Operation Centre receives them from the BC Wildfire Service via the SRD Alertable notification system.

Sign up at SRD.CA/ALERTS

Fire Bans & Protection

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Open Burning Ban (Category 2 & 3)

OPEN BURNING (Category 2 & 3) IS NOT PERMITTED throughout the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction as of noon on Thursday May 18th.

Category 1 campfires/beach fires that are a half-meter high by a half-meter wide or smaller, or cooking stoves that use gas, propane, or briquettes are still permitted everywhere EXCEPT the following locations:

  • EXCEPT on beaches in the South Quadra Island Improvement District because beach fires in this area are banned all year
  • EXCEPT Gold River which has specific permit requirements around campfire/beachfire and any other type of open burning between April 15 and October 15th.

To report open burning concerns, please contact:

In the SRD Electoral Areas listed below, please call the Coastal Fire Centre at 250-951-4222.
  • All of Electoral Area A (Sayward Valley)
  • All of Electoral Area B (Cortes Island)
  • All of Electoral Area C (Quadra & Discovery Islands) EXCEPT the area within the Quadra Island Improvement District
  • All of Electoral Area D (Oyster Bay / Buttle Lake) EXCEPT for the area within the Black Creek / Oyster Bay Fire Protection Local Area.
These areas reside under provincial legislation (BC Wildfire Act) because the SRD does not have a bylaw for these areas that speaks to the lighting and open fire.
All other fire protection areas in the Regional District (see below) are also implementing their own Category 2 and 3 burning bans.
Please contact the following numbers to report open burning concerns:
  • Black Creek / Oyster Bay Local Fire Protection Area | 250-830-7155.
  • City of Campbell River | 250-286-6266
  • South Quadra Island Improvement District | 250-285-3262
  • Village of Gold River | 250-283-2522
  • Village of Sayward | 250-282-5505
  • Village of Tahsis | 250-934-6666
  • Village of Zeballos | 250-761-4229

Stay Informed

Learn more about restrictions or which fire protection area you reside in please visit www.srd.ca/fire-protection

Fire Service Areas

The Strathcona Regional District provide fire services across three areas:

  1. A portion of Electoral Area A (Sayward Valley) through a contract with the Village of Sayward.  See Fire Service Map >
  2. A portion of Electoral Area B (Cortes Island) through a contract with the Cortes Island Fire Fighting Association. See Fire Service Map >
  3. A portion of Electoral Area D through a contract with the City of Campbell River. See Fire Service Map >

For the City of Campbell River, and the Villages of Tahsis, Zeballos, Sayward and Gold River, each has its own fire department providing services within the municipal boundary. The Quadra Island Fire Department provides fire services to a southern portion of Quadra Island.

See a zoomable map of all SRD fire services>


Fire Bans and Restrictions

The following Electoral Areas in the Strathcona Regional District reside under provincial legislation (BC Wildfire Act) because the SRD does not have a bylaw for these areas that speaks to the lighting and open fire.

  • All of Electoral Area A (Sayward Valley)
  • All of Electoral Area B (Cortes Island)
  • All of Electoral Area C (Quadra & Discovery Islands) EXCEPT the area within the Quadra Island Improvement District
  • All of Electoral Area D (Oyster Bay / Buttle Lake) EXCEPT for the area within the Black Creek / Oyster Bay Fire Protection Local Area.

To learn more about or view current bans and restrictions for these areas:

Electoral Area C – Quadra Island Improvement District

The Quadra Island Fire Department provides fire services to a southern portion of Quadra Island located in the Quadra Island Improvement District as well as areas under the jurisdiction of We Wai Kai Fist Nation through a contractual arrangement. You can find current fire bans and restrictions for this area at on Quadra Island Fire Department’s website https://www.quadrafire.org/current-conditions.php or by following them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/quadraislandfd

Electoral Area D – Black Creek / Oyster Bay Fire Protection Local Area

In the Black Creek / Oyster Bay Fire Protection Local Area, where authority for operating fire protection service was assigned by letters patent to the Comox Valley Regional District on February 15, 2008 that also included the authority to regulate open burning.

View current bans and restrictions for the Black Creek / Oyster Bay Fire Protection Local Area:

  • At www.oysterriverfire.ca.
  • To report a burning violation, contact the Oyster River Fire Department’s Duty Officer at 250-830-7155.

Other Community Fire Bans & Restrictions 

Current fire bans and restrictions for each community are listed on their websites or Facebook pages, please see links below.

City of Campbell River

Village of Gold River

Village of Sayward

Village of Tahsis

Village of Zeballos