Campfire safety
From 15 March to 15 October, campfires are not allowed between 8:00 am and 2:00 pm (except in federal, provincial, municipal and private campgrounds using enclosed grills designed for that purpose). Check the daily fire restrictions at novascotia.ca/burnsafe or 1-855-564-2876.
75% of the province is covered by forests.
17 campfires is the annual average reported number that cause wildfires.*
270 hectares is the average area of land destroyed per year.*
Building
Choose a safe site to build your campfire.
Is burning allowed? Check the daily burn restrictions.
Use a fire pit if available or build on bare rock, soil/sand.
Keep a 3 metre clearance around and above your fire.
Prepare the site by scraping the ground down to bare soil (1m radius).
Burning Safely
Campfires should be less than 0.5m high x 0.5m wide. Small hot fires are easier to cook over and put out. Use fire starters, kindling and dry wood.
Never leave your campfire unattended.
Keep a pail of water and a shovel nearby.
Watch children and pets around fire.
If it’s windy, do not have a campfire.
Extinguishing Your Fire
Always put out your campfire before leaving the area. Your fire is out when the ash doesn’t hiss, no smoke comes from the ashes and the remnants are cold to the touch.
Pour a lot of water on it.
Stir in the water with a stick or a shovel.
Add water and stir until the ash is cool to the touch.
* Reported Nova Scotia average