BERN - Prefects extended the fire ban to the whole canton of Bern on Thursday. Fires are forbidden in woods and within 50 metres of them. Fireworks, including small crackers, rockets and other pyrotechnics, are banned everywhere in the canton, not only in the forest zone. Sky lanterns and traditional height fires are banned too. The reason given is the dry spell and the heat expected next week, with forest-fire danger at level 4, classed as high.
The timing is deliberate. The prefects said they were deciding now so that organisers of 31 July and 1 August have a clear rule. Fireworks on lakes remain allowed. Outside the banned zones, fires are limited to fixed fire places, must be watched, and should be skipped entirely if the wind is up. The forest and natural hazards office is due to reassess the picture on 6 August.
Basel-Stadt goes to the top danger level
Canton police in Basel-Stadt, coordinating with specialists and neighbouring cantons, ordered an absolute ban on lighting fires and on fireworks from Friday 24 July. Danger there moves to level 5, very high. The ban covers fixed grills, fire bowls, disposable barbecues, parks, and brought grills within 200 metres of a wood. Throwing away a burning cigarette is forbidden. A forest ban within 200 metres, already in force since 16 July, stays. Gas and electric grills may still be used on hard surfaces in built-up areas if they are kept off vegetation.
What National Day looks like under the ban
Private fireworks are out in Basel-Stadt on 31 July and 1 August as well. Permits already issued for the official shows on the Rhine, on the Bruderholz and in Riehen stay valid. Communes that have been planning bonfires now have a canton that has taken part of that decision out of their hands. The drought that sits under the order started with the June alert.