Effective at noon on Monday, June 24, 2013, the size of open fires will be restricted in most of the Coastal Fire Centre to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect the public. This prohibition will remain in effect until Oct. 15, 2013 or the public is otherwise notified.

This prohibition covers all BC Parks, Crown and private lands within the Coastal Fire Centre, with the exception of the Skeena-Queen Charlotte Regional District and the area known as the "Fog Zone". A map of the affected areas is available online at: http://bit.ly/120s5c9

Specific activities affected by this prohibition include:

• the burning of any material, piled or unpiled, smaller than two metres in height and three metres in width, including burning barrels

• the burning of stubble or grass over an area less than 2,000 square metres (0.2 hectares)

• the use of fireworks, sky lanterns or burning barrels of any size or description

This prohibition does not ban campfires that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide or smaller and does not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes.

Anyone lighting a campfire must maintain a fireguard by removing flammable debris from around the campfire area and have a hand tool or at least eight litres of water nearby to properly extinguish the fire.

For information about open burning and tips on making responsible burning decisions, please read the open burning guides at: http://bcwildfire.ca/hprScripts/WildfireNews/Bans.asp

This prohibition covers all BC Parks, Crown lands and private lands, but it does not apply within the boundaries of a local government that has wildfire prevention bylaws in place and is serviced by a fire department. Before lighting any fire, residents should check with local civic authorities regarding any current prohibitions.

The Coastal Fire Centre covers all of the area west of the height of land on the Coast Mountain Range from the U.S.-Canada border at Manning Park, including Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park in the north, the Sunshine Coast, the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and Haida Gwaii.

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 ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.

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 and on Facebook at http://facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo

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

Media Contacts:

Donna MacPherson
Fire Information Officer
Wildfire Management Branch
Coastal Fire Centre
250 951-4209
Donna.MacPherson@gov.bc.ca

Marg Drysdale
Fire Information Officer
Wildfire Management Branch
Coastal Fire Centre
250 951-4209
Marg.Drysdale@gov.bc.ca