Wildfire Management Branch crews, in partnership with the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, have completed a 5.8-hectare fuel management project southeast of Barriere near Agate Bay Road.

The project involved pruning, spacing and removing trees to reduce the amount of forest fuels available in the event of a wildfire. The debris piles remaining onsite will be burned this fall, when conditions make it safe to do so. This forest modification reduces the likelihood of an aggressive, fast-moving crown fire and also lowers the risk of a fire spreading uphill to homes along Agate Bay Road and in the Glen Grove Estates area.

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District developed a Community Wildfire Protection Plan in 2008, identifying ways to decrease fuel loading in nearby forests and reduce the potential for devastating wildfires. This fuel management project is one of 13 active projects in the regional district.

To support the efforts of the province's Strategic Wildfire Prevention Initiative, members of the public are asked to do their part by using FireSmart principles to reduce the risk of wildfires on private property. For more information about the FireSmart program and how to make private property more fire-resistant, visit: www.firesmartcanada.ca

For the latest information on fire activity, conditions and prohibitions, visit the Wildfire Management Branch website: 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

Quick Facts:

• The B.C. government introduced the Strategic Wildfire Prevention Initiative in 2004 to help local governments and First Nations reduce the risk of interface wildfires, where urban development borders on forests and grasslands.

• That year, the provincial and federal governments announced $37 million to help local governments pay for interface wildfire mitigation. In April 2011, the provincial government contributed an additional $25 million. The funding is administered by the Union of British Columbia Municipalities.

• As of March 31, 2013, 252 Community Wildfire Protection Plans have been completed by local governments and First Nations. Another 50 are in progress.

• As of March 31, 2013, completed fuel treatments and risk reduction efforts have covered more than 47,977 hectares of land in and around communities that face a significant wildfire risk. This includes 26,296 hectares of forest affected by the mountain pine beetle.

Media Contacts:

Michaela Swan
Fire Information Officer
Wildfire Management Branch
Kamloops Fire Centre
250 554-5532
250 318-7456 (cell)

Jason Tomlin
Emergency Services Supervisor
Thompson-Nicola Regional District
250 377-2598