Firefighters fined $1,150 for campfire in B.C. Interior during burning ban

An $1,150 fine has been handed down after a photocame to lightshowing firefighters gathered around a campfire during a fire ban in British Columbia's Interior.

B.C.'s chief fire information officer Kevin Skrepnek says three warning tickets were also issued as a result of the photo.

"Our ministry's compliance and enforcement branch did launch an investigation based on a potential infraction of the Wildfire Act," he said. "As a result of that investigation, there was one violation ticket issued for $1,150 and three warning tickets issued as well."

The photo, posted on Facebook in early July, shows a group of people who appear to be wearing firefighter uniforms standing around a campfire at the edge of a lake. The photowas shared hundreds of times before being taken down.

At the time, the majority of the province was under an open burn and campfire ban, as at the beginning of what has become a historic wildfire season.

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"That ban applies to everyone," Skrepnek said at the time. "The ministry is taking the matter very seriously."

Skrepnek says a second investigation was also launched into the matter, which he described as an internal human resources investigation. He says the results of that investigation will not be made public.

With files from Matt Meuse