Effective at 4 p.m. Pacific Time on Friday, Sept. 5, the area restriction order in place for a group of fires west of Elkford will be rescinded to allow public access to the region.

An area restriction order that's been in effect near fires burning in areas west of Elkford is being amended, effective immediately, to increase public access to those areas and reopen some forest service roads.

An Area Restriction Order for areas near a group of fires east of Canal Flats has been rescinded effective immediately.

Effective at 4 p.m. Pacific Time on Friday, Aug. 15, campfires once again will be permitted throughout the Southeast Fire Centre's jurisdiction.

In the past week, the Southeast Fire Centre has responded to 84 new lightning-caused fires. The vast majority of these fires have been small, and many are already contained.

An Area Restriction Order is in effect immediately for areas near the White Tail Brook fire, approximately 10 kilometres east of the village of Canal Flats.

The Southeast Fire Centre has received many inquiries about whether a campfire ban will implemented.

Crews from the Wildfire Management Branch's Southeast Fire Centre have responded to seven wildfires since April 1, 2014, all of which were human-caused and the result of poorly planned open burning.

The Southeast Fire Centre is asking the public to exercise caution while conducting any outdoor burning activities this spring.

Effective at noon (MDT) on Monday, Sept. 9, open fires will be permitted within the Columbia Fire Zone, due to a decreased risk of wildfires.