This prohibition applies to all areas of the Kamloops Fire Centre except the Clearwater and Salmon Arm fire zones.

The Clearwater Fire Zone and the Salmon Arm Fire Zone will become subject to this prohibition on June 15, 2013, when all open burning will be prohibited throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre.

Since April 1, Kamloops Fire Centre crews have responded to 43 human-caused wildfires, the largest of which has grown to about 1,400 hectares in size. Many of these fires resulted from poorly planned open burning.

Anyone conducting Category 2 or 3 fires outside of those two zones must extinguish any such fires by noon on May 15. This prohibition will remain in effect until Oct. 15, 2013 or until further notice.

A map of the affected areas is available online at: http://ow.ly/kewIE

Specifically, prohibited activities include:

• The burning of any waste, slash or other materials (piled or unpiled).

• The burning of more than one open fire of any size at the same time.

• The burning of recreational and ceremonial fires that exceed the size specified for campfires (0.5 m x 0.5 m).

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

• 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.

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 forest fire 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 Kamloops Fire Centre stretches from the northern border of Wells Gray Park near Blue River to the U.S. border to the south, and from the Bridge River Glacier west of Gold Bridge to the Monashee Mountains east of Lumby.

For information about open burning and for more tips on making responsible burning decisions, please download one of the guides to open burning at: http://bcwildfire.ca/hprScripts/WildfireNews/Bans.asp

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, dial *5555 on a cellphone or call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free.

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

You can follow the latest wildfire news -

On Twitter at: http://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo

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

Media Contact:

Kayla Pepper
Fire Information Officer
Wildfire Management Branch
Kamloops Fire Centre
250 554-5530
Kayla.Pepper@gov.bc.ca