Effective at 12 noon on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2011, backyard burning will be permitted within the Southeast Fire Centre due to a decreased risk of wildfires.

The public is now permitted to:

• Burn waste, slash or other material.
• Burn stubble or grass.
• Use fireworks or burning barrels of any size or description.

Backyard burns, or Category 2 open fires, can be no bigger than two metres high and three metres wide. Burning grass or stubble cannot be done over an area greater than 2,000 square metres.

Anyone who lights a fire must have sufficient people, water and hand tools nearby to extinguish it, and must never leave it unattended. Failure to exercise due diligence with open fires can result in a $345 fine. Under the Wildfire Act, an individual found responsible for causing a wildfire may face a fine from $100,000 to $1 million, one to three years imprisonment, or both.

The rescinding of this prohibition applies to all BC 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 restrictions before lighting a fire.

The Southeast Fire Centre encompasses the area extending from the U.S. border in the south to Mica Dam in the north and from the Okanagan Highlands/Monashee Mountains in the west to the B.C./Alberta border in the east. This includes the Selkirk and Rocky Mountain resource districts.

Report a wildfire or unattended campfire by calling *5555 on your cellphone or toll-free to 1 800 663-5555.

For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, go to: http://www.bcforestfireinfo.gov.bc.ca

You can also follow the latest wildfire news -

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

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

Media Contact:

Karlie Shaughnessy
Fire Information Officer
Southeast Fire Centre
250 365-4014 (office)
250 304-8352 (cell)