Effective at noon on Aug. 2, 2013, all open fires are prohibited within southern and western parts of the Prince George Fire Centre's jurisdiction to help prevent human-caused wildfires. The prohibition will be in place until Sept. 15, 2013, or until the public is otherwise notified.

The geographic areas of the Robson Valley and Prince George timber supply areas are covered by this restriction. To see a map of the area affected, click here: http://bit.ly/15hv7Mq

Specifically, prohibited activities include:

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

• Stubble or grass fires of any size over any area.

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

• The use of tiki torches.

The prohibition does not restrict 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 the campfire area and must have a hand tool or at least eight litres of water available nearby to properly extinguish the fire.

Please ensure that campfires are not lit or kept burning during windy conditions. Make sure that that the fire is fully extinguished and the ashes are cold to the touch before leaving the area for any length of time.

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 restrictions before lighting a fire.

The fire danger rating in southern sections of the Prince George Fire Centre is high to extreme and is expected to increase over the long weekend. Since April 1, 2013 humans have caused over half of the 142 fires in the Prince George Fire Centre.

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. 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 firefighting and associated costs.

To report a wildfire or unattended campfire, call 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

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

Media Contact:

Dustin Eno
Fire Information Officer
Wildfire Management Branch
Prince George Fire Centre
250 565-6129
dustin.eno@gov.bc.ca