Effective at 12 noon on Wednesday, June 15, 2011, the open fire ban currently in place within most of the Kamloops Fire Centre will be expanded to include the Clearwater and Salmon Arm fire zones to help prevent human-caused wildfires.

All open fires will be prohibited until October 1, 2011 in the Clearwater and Salmon Arm Fire Zones and until October 15, 2011 in the Kamloops, Vernon, Penticton, Merritt and Lillooet Fire Zones.

Specifically this ban prohibits:

* Burning any waste, slash or other material.

* Burning stubble or grass.

* The use of fireworks or burning barrels of any size or description.

The ban does not apply to campfires that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide or smaller, or to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes. People lighting a campfire must maintain a fireguard by removing flammable debris from the campfire area, and must have a hand tool or at least eight litres of water nearby to properly extinguish a fire escape.

This ban covers all B.C. Parks, Crown and private lands, but does not apply within the boundaries of local governments that have forest fire prevention bylaws and are serviced by a fire department. Please check with civic authorities for any restrictions before lighting a fire.

Kamloops Fire Centre statistics show that half of all wildfires are caused by human activity. The Wildfire Management Branch thanks the public for their co-operation in complying with the ban and assisting in the detection of wildfires.

Anyone found in contravention of an open fire ban may be issued a ticket for $345 or, if convicted in court, be fined up to $100,000 and sentenced to one year in jail. If the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person may be subject to a penalty of up to $10,000 and be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.

The Kamloops Fire Centre extends from the northern border of Wells Gray Park, north of Blue River to the U.S. border in the south, and from the Bridge River Glacier west of Goldbridge to the Monashee Mountains east of Lumby.

To report a wildfire or unattended campfire please call *5555 on your cellphone or toll-free to 1 800 663-5555.

For the latest information on fire activity, conditions and prohibitions, visit the Wildfire Management Branch website at: www.bcwildfire.ca

You can also follow the latest wildfire news -

On Twitter at: http://twitter.com/#!/BCGovFireInfo

On Facebook at: http://facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo

Contact:

Michaela Swan

Fire Information Officer

Kamloops Fire Centre

Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations

250 554-5532 (office)

250 318-7456 (cell)

Connect with the Province of B.C. at: www.gov.bc.ca/connect