Richmond, along with the rest of Metro Vancouver, has continued to experience hot, dry weather sparking an extreme fire danger warning, a ban on BBQs in parks and the closure of some trails.
Environment Canada has issued a heat warning and temperatures in Richmond have reached the high 20s all week. While there is a chance of showers expected on the weekend, the city says “there is still no significant rainfall on the horizon” to reduce to the risk of fires.
As a result of these dry conditions, Richmond Nature Park’s trails are remaining closed and a “complete BBQ and open fire ban is now currently in place at all parks including the designated BBQ areas at Gary Point Park and King George Park.”
The city’s smoking regulations – which now includes cannabis and vapour items – bans smoking at public parks and on school grounds, as will smoking within nine metres of bus shelters, transit signs, customer service areas including patios, doors, windows and air intakes.
Anyone who does smoke is reminded to not dispose of smoking materials from vehicles, in flower beds or on mulch beds as, according to the City of Richmond, nearly 59 per cent of fires last summer were “caused by carelessly discarded smokers’ materials.”
