Effective at noon on Sunday, June 15, 2014, the current open burning ban will be expanded throughout the entire Kamloops Fire Centre to include the Salmon Arm Fire Zone and Clearwater Fire Zone. This is to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect the public.

Anyone planning to light a Category 2 or Category 3 fire in the Salmon Arm Fire Zone or Clearwater Fire Zone must extinguish it by noon on June 15.

This prohibition will remain in place in the Clearwater Fire Zone and Salmon Arm Fire Zone for elevations above 1,200 metres until Sept. 15, 2014. For all other elevations in those zones, this prohibition will remain in place until Oct. 1, 2014.

This prohibition will remain in place in the Kamloops, Vernon, Penticton, Merritt and Lillooet fire zones until Oct. 15, 2014, or until the public is informed otherwise.

A map of the affected areas is available online at: http://bit.ly/1mkOXtb

Specifically, this open fire prohibition applies to:

• The burning of any waste, slash or other materials.
• The burning of stubble or grass.
• 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 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 tips on making responsible burning decisions, please download one of the open burning guides 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, may 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 *5555 on your cellphone or call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free.

Media Contacts:

Kayla Pepper
Fire Information Officer
Wildfire Management Branch
Kamloops Fire Centre
250 554-5530

Kelsey Winter
Fire Information Officer
Wildfire Management Branch
Kamloops Fire Centre
250 554-5964