The Northwest Fire Centre would like to remind the public that all open fires are prohibited within the Northwest Fire Centre, with the exception of the former North Coast Forest District.

Fire officials have responded to multiple incidents of individuals burning large piles in contravention of the open fire prohibition. Anyone violating an open fire prohibition may be issued a ticket for $345. Anyone who causes a wildfire through arson or recklessness may be fined up to $1 million, spend up to three years in prison and be held accountable for associated firefighting costs.

Two industrial operations are currently exempt from this prohibition, including one at Long Lake (north of Stewart) and one southwest of Bob Quinn.

This prohibition is to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety. The prohibition will remain in place until Aug. 31, 2012, or until the public is otherwise notified.

Specifically, this prohibits:

• The burning of any waste, slash or other material.

• The burning of stubble or grass.

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

This prohibition does not apply to campfires, gas or propane cooking stoves, or briquettes. Campfires must not be larger than 0.5 metres by 0.5 metres in size. People lighting a campfire must maintain a fireguard by removing flammable debris from around the campfire area and must have a hand tool or at least eight litres of water available nearby to properly extinguish the fire.

Campfires should not be lit or kept burning during windy conditions. Never leave a fire unattended. Make sure that the fire is completely extinguished and the embers are cold before leaving the area.

This prohibition covers 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 any prohibitions before lighting a fire.

A map of the affected areas covered by the prohibition is available online at: http://bcwildfire.ca/ftp/!Project/WildfireNews/7102012~32400_July%2013,%202012%20map.pdf

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

For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning prohibitions, road closures and air quality advisories, visit: http://bcwildfire.ca

You can also follow the latest wildfire news -

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

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

Media Contact:

Lindsay Carnes
Fire Information Officer
Wildfire Management Branch
Northwest Fire Centre
250 877-9356 (cell)