District of Sooke Campfire Prohibition Remains in Effect

While the Coastal Fire Centre is lifting its Category 1 campfire prohibition effective at noon today, the District of Sooke’s campfire prohibition remains in effect until further notice as local fire danger continues to be rated high to extreme. 

The District generally follows fire restrictions established by the Coastal Fire Centre; however, conditions can vary across the region. Municipalities may maintain different or additional restrictions in response to local conditions. 

Recent rainfall has improved conditions across many parts of the Coastal Fire Centre. While significant rainfall was forecast across West Vancouver Island this week, the rainfall received locally was not enough to sufficiently reduce Sooke’s fire danger. With the local rating remaining high to extreme, the District is maintaining its campfire prohibition with the protection of people and property as the priority. 

“We generally align our restrictions with the Coastal Fire Centre, but Vancouver Island covers a large area and conditions are not the same everywhere,” said Sooke Fire Chief Wayne Kennedy. “The rainfall we were hoping would provide greater relief locally did not materialize to the extent needed, and our fire danger remains high to extreme. Given those conditions, lifting the prohibition right now is simply not a risk we need to take.”  

Chief Kennedy added that the decision will be reviewed as conditions change. 

“Our priority is protecting people, homes and property. We are monitoring conditions closely, and as soon as the local fire danger decreases to a level where the prohibition can be safely lifted, we will let the community know. We appreciate residents and visitors continuing to be cautious and respecting the restriction in the meantime.”  

FireSmart Efforts Continue 

As the season begins to change and leaves fall, residents are encouraged to continue taking steps to reduce wildfire risk around their homes and properties. 

The District is expanding its popular free yard waste disposal program to October, providing residents with another opportunity to remove leaves, branches and other vegetation from their properties. 

Free yard waste drop-off will be available at 2070 Kaltasin Road from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Saturday in October, excluding Thanksgiving weekend. 

The District of Sooke acknowledges funding support from partners, including the UBCM FireSmart Program and the Province of British Columbia. 

The District is closely monitoring local weather, fire danger ratings and conditions on the ground and will provide an update as soon as conditions allow the campfire prohibition to be safely lifted. 

Residents and visitors can check sooke.ca/news for updates or subscribe at sooke.ca/subscribe to receive the latest information directly. 

Published 10am, Wednesday, September 3, 2026