If you are thinking of having a campfire in your backyard in Kelowna, you might want to think again.

Gayanne Pacholzuk, fire prevention officer with the Kelowna Fire Department, is reminding residents of the fire and life safety bylaw in the City of Kelowna which specifically states that you cannot start any open-air fires, including backyard campfires, without written permission from the Fire Department.

Written permission is only granted if the person applying has more than 2 acres of land, which Pacholzuk said mainly applies to farmers burning yard clippings.

"They have to come in and get a permit from us and we inspect their burn piles and it's all done appropriately,” she explained.

Pacholzuk said this message is so important because of the danger that can be posed by a simple lantern or campfire, especially with the fire season seemingly starting early. In the Fort St. John area, fires have already destroyed buildings and caused multiple area evacuations.

“We don't want people to take the chance,” said Pacholzuk.

The bylaw also includes fireworks, which are illegal to sell and to set off in the City of Kelowna.

"We do permit certified pyrotechnic engineers but they certainly have to go through a bunch of courses and there are a lot of hoops to jump through just to get a permit for that,” said Pacholzuk.

Last summer, with a provincial fire ban in place, everyone, including those with training, was banned from having firework shows.

Pacholzuk said the Okanagan area catches fire so easily because of the extremely hot and dry weather in the summer time.

"That's the nature of where we live. It's just such an arid area of the country that it just doesn't make any sense for us to allow these things to happen knowing potentially that a fire could start,” she said.

Photo Credit: KelownaNow.

She referred to the devastating 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park Fire, and several others in Peachland and West Kelowna, as examples of why being careful is a must.

"We have to take all the precautions we can to protect the life safety of our residents,” said Pacholzuk.

The majority of fires in B.C. are man-made. Pacholzuk said that although they are not necessarily intentional, they can wreak havoc.  

"It could be an abandoned campfire, it could be a controlled burn, perhaps even by a farmer, and then all of a sudden the wind picks up and off it goes,” she said.

For those who decide to risk it, you can face multiple fines. The least expensive one is for lighting a fire without a permit, which runs for a minimum of $345.

Often, worried neighbours will report each other, and Pacholzuk said most of the time, people just need to be educated.

"A lot of people who have [a fire] in their backyard, don't know the bylaws,” said Pacholzuk. “When we tell them, generally the people in Kelowna are great.”

While lanterns, which can travel up to 2 kilometres, aren’t allowed, Pacholzuk said people are permitted to burn propane, gas, or briquette in Kelowna.