Effective at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012, all open fires are prohibited throughout the Northwest Fire Centre, with the exception of the former North Coast Forest District, the Cassiar Fire Zone and the portion of the Skeena Fire Zone north of the Meziadin Junction.

A map of the affected areas is available online at: http://bit.ly/U9lIQO

The prohibition will remain in place until Oct. 15, 2012, or until the public is otherwise notified.

This prohibition is to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety. Specifically, it 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 or to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes.

Campfires must not be larger than 0.5 metres by 0.5 metres in size. Anyone 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 ashes are cold before leaving the area.

This prohibition 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 other prohibitions before lighting a fire.

Anyone found in contravention of an open fire prohibition 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. Anyone who causes a wildfire through arson or recklessness can be fined up to $1 million or spend three years in prison and be held accountable for associated firefighting costs.

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
250 847-6639 (cell)