Two hikers have been fined after they lit a campfire in a restricted part of the Cariboo region.
The two people were hiking in Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park just north of Hwy. 20 on Tuesday night, RCMP Sgt. Annie Linteau said, when they got stranded and had to be rescued by helicopter the following afternoon.
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After retrieving the pair, firefighters were forced to extinguish their campfire. Linteau said both hikers were aware of the current campfire ban and general wildfire situation in B.C.
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“BC Parks staff issued two fines totalling $1,233 for accessing the park while closed and lighting a fire during a fire ban,” Linteau said.
“It’s really unfortunate that these hikers’ blatant disregard for the park’s closure resulted in the diversion of valuable resources and assets which would have otherwise been used in fire suppression efforts.”
All of B.C., aside from the ‘fog zone’ on western Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii, is currently under a fire ban.
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