Conservation officers in British Columbia say they have discovered numerous illegal campfires during spot checks, as wildfire crews battle out-of-control blazes that are threatening communities in the south of the province. The B.C. Conservation Officer Service says in a statement on social media that it issued 19 violation tickets and almost $22,000 in fines over the weekend, and ignorance of bans across much of the province is no excuse. Bans on even small campfires are in place in the Cariboo, Kamloops and Southeast fire centres, and parts of coastal B.C., while less-strict fire bans and restrictions cover all other areas. The crackdown comes as authorities in the Village of Clinton, B.C., assess damage after residents were forced to flee their homes last week in the face of a fire complex…







