The B.C. government has banned off-roading in many parts of the province due to elevated wildfire danger—and scofflaws have been warned they will face fines of up to $1,150 if caught. The temporary ban applies to all-terrain vehicles, side-by-side vehicles and motorcycles on provincial Crown land in the Kamloops and Southeast fire centres, as well as parts of the Cariboo and Coastal fire centres. B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said his message for off-roaders is simple: “Don’t be stupid.” “We are in the midst of a very challenging wildfire situation here in British Columbia,” Parmar said at a news conference Monday. “Any additional spark can cause devastation for communities.” Off-road vehicles can still be used for “farming, emergency response or business purposes,” the Ministry of Forests confirmed, and the prohibition does not apply to private lands or national parks. Full details of the affected areas are available on the B.C. Wildfire Service website. Members of the Natural Resource Officer Service will be actively enforcing the ban until it is lifted, Parmar said. “Let me be clear: They will not hesitate to fine people who don’t follow these orders,” he added. The minister said the ban was imposed on the urging of wildfire crews. He could not confirm whether off-roading may have sparked any of the destructive fires that have erupted so far this year, including the massive Bradley Creek blaze near Vernon. There have been online rumours an ATV crashed in the area on July 31, the day the wildfire broke out. The B.C. Wildfire Service told CTV News it is aware of the chatter, but said the cause of the fire remains under investigation Monday. The Vernon North Okanagan RCMP would not confirm whether officers responded to an ATV crash that day. A spokesperson said the Natural Resource Officer Service has assumed conduct of the investigation into the cause of the Bradley Creek fire.
