**Editor's note: A previous version of this story had incorrect information regarding the state of campfire bans in BC. It has now been amended.**
The BC Conservation Officer Service (BCCOS) was busy over the long weekend.
It was the first long weekend of the summer with campfire bans in effect and conservation officers handed out a total of 26 violation tickets for illegal campfires.
With each ticket being for $1,150, the total amount of fines handed out over the weekend was a hair under $30,000.
“Conservation officers will continue proactive campfire ban patrols throughout the summer,” noted a BCCOS statement.
The worst region for fires was by far the Sea-to-Sky zone within the Coastal Fire Centre, where 16 tickets were handed out for a total of $18,400 in fines.
“At some campfires, multiple people were issued tickets,” the BCCOS explained.
On Vancouver Island, where conservation officers only issued two fines for illegal campfires, another two violation tickets were handed out to individuals for accessing a restricted area.
The BCCOS says those fines were in relation to the Wesley Ridge wildfire near Cameron Lake, which is currently burning out of control at 511 hectares and has triggered an evacuation order.
Campfires are currently permitted in all parts of the province except most of the Coastal Fire Centre, including the Lower Mainland, Sea-to-Sky and Vancouver Island zones.
