Effective at noon PDT on Monday, Sept. 17, all open fires and fireworks will be prohibited throughout all of the Peace Regional District of the Prince George Fire Centre to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect the public. The ban will remain in place until Oct. 31, 2012, or until the public is otherwise notified.

Specifically, this ban applies to:

• 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.

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

This ban covers all BC Parks, Crown lands 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 current restrictions before lighting any fire.

Anyone found in contravention of an open fire prohibition may be fined $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 fire-fighting and associated costs.

Crews from the Prince George Fire Centre have responded to 350 wildfires since April 1 (127 caused by humans and 218 caused by lightning), which have burned a total of 44,437 hectares.

The Prince George Fire Centre extends from the Yukon and Northwest Territories borders in the north to Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, Cottonwood River and Robson Valley in the south, and from the Alberta border in the east to the Skeena Mountains in the west.

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

For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, go to: http://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

Media Contact:

Jillian Chimko
Fire Information Officer
Wildfire Management Branch
Prince George Fire Centre
250 565-6129
Jillian.chimko@gov.bc.ca