WATCH: Man films group cooking over open fire next to ban sign at Jones Lake

PENTICTON — A video filmed at the BC Hydro day-use area on Jones Lake, east of Chilliwack, continues to spread after the original poster confirmed the group had already been ordered to put out fires the night before..Blaine Watson, who posted the clip under the TikTok account @blaine640, stated that the men were told no fires were allowed the previous evening and were asked to extinguish them. The next day he returned to the day-use area and found them cooking around one of the fire pits. “It looked like charcoal but there was wood burning in there too,” Watson wrote. When he began filming, one of the men told him “you can’t film,” and the confrontation escalated.The footage shows visible flames and smoke under skewers and a cooking pot, metres from a yellow sign reading “CAMPFIRES ARE PROHIBITED IN THIS AREA.” A BC Hydro notice banning alcohol and drugs is also visible. Jones Lake falls within the Chilliwack forest district of the Coastal Fire Centre, where Category 1 campfires have been prohibited since noon on July 16..The ban remains in force as British Columbia deals with an active wildfire season marked by new starts, evacuation alerts and dry conditions across multiple fire centres. Designated fire rings exist at the recreation site under normal circumstances, but the posted prohibition and provincial order override them.Watson’s account has drawn widespread attention, with the video surpassing 160,000 views within hours of posting. Online commentary has focused on the prior warning, the continued use of wood in the fire, and the demand that filming stop on public land. Some posts describe the group as recent immigrants who disregarded the rules. The Western Standard has not independently verified their backgrounds or immigration status.Open-fire violations carry a minimum $1,150 ticket, administrative penalties up to $10,000, and potential fines reaching $100,000 plus jail time. Anyone whose fire sparks a wildfire can face liability for full suppression costs and higher criminal penalties.

WATCH: Man films group cooking over open fire next to ban sign at Jones Lake

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