Ontario has requested further firefighting assistance from British Columbia, with an expected increase in lightning activity and ongoing hot and dry conditions.

Comments are being accepted until Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011 on a discussion paper released today as part of a comprehensive review of the Sunshine Coast timber supply area.

Recreational users are advised that the Bobtail Lake Recreation Site will be temporarily closed due to site reconstruction and gravel hauling between Monday, Aug. 8 and Monday, Aug. 15, 2011.

The Cunningham Pass (3100) Forest Service Road will remain closed between 21 and 26 kilometres as a result of severe washouts and slides.

Is it sunny? Or is it raining? Only one thing is for certain - the B.C. Day long weekend is around the corner and people will be heading outdoors, so be sure to check open burning restrictions at your destination before you light that campfire.

Effective immediately, the new allowable annual cut for the Revelstoke timber supply area will be 225,000 cubic metres, chief forester Jim Snetsinger announced today.

British Columbia is deploying additional forest fire personnel to Ontario, while another group returns home.

As 101 firefighters currently in Ontario reach their maximum amount of deployment days and return to B.C., five 20-person unit crews and an agency representative will depart for Ontario to replace them.

The public is urged to take extra care near the Okanagan River as water levels remain high.

With the summer season in full swing, the Okanagan River is a popular place to enjoy B.C.'s great outdoors. Visitors and residents are reminded that the Okanagan River's high water levels mean additional risks to public safety posed by a deep and fast flowing current.

As of July 21, 2011, the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations has rescinded water licence restrictions within the Chimney Creek watershed, thanks to significant rainfall in the area.

British Columbia is sending an additional 74 forest fire personnel to Ontario to assist with a continuing increase in fire activity.