In the past week, the Southeast Fire Centre has responded to 84 new lightning-caused fires. The vast majority of these fires have been small, and many are already contained.

Currently, there are two wildfires of note in the Southeast Fire Centre:

• The Slocan Park fire is estimated at 120 hectares. Today, there are 60 firefighters and seven helicopters working on this fire. The Regional District of Central Kootenay has issued an Evacuation Alert for residents in the area between 2826 on Highway 6 and 3024 on Highway 6.
• The Whitetail Brook fire, eight kilometres east of Canal Flats, is estimated at 1,700 hectares and is 50% contained. There are currently 110 firefighters and six helicopters working on this fire. Area Restriction Orders are in effect for areas surrounding the fire.

The Wildfire Management Branch is conducting a full response to these wildfires, and Incident Management Teams have assumed command. This transition has brought increased support staff to help manage these complex incidents.

With hot and dry conditions forecast through next week and the potential for more thunderstorms on the weekend, the Southeast Fire Centre is urging the public to be extra cautious in the backcountry. All person-caused fires are preventable and these incidents may affect the ability of the firefighting crews to respond to naturally occurring fires.

The fire danger rating in the majority of the Southeast Fire Centre is currently "high", with large areas of "extreme" fire danger in the East Kootenay, West Kootenay, Revelstoke and Boundary regions. Considering the hot and dry weather experienced over the past few weeks, these conditions mean that forest fuels are very dry and the risk of fire is serious. On Tuesday, Aug. 5, a campfire prohibition went into effect throughout the entire fire centre to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.

For updated information on the Slocan Park Fire Evacuation Alert, please visit: http://www.rdck.ca/

For more information on the Whiteswan Lake Provincial park closure, please visit: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/whtswan/

To report a wildfire, 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

Southeast Fire Centre Media Contacts:

Jordan Turner
Fire Information Officer
Wildfire Management Branch
Southeast Fire Centre
250 365-4014

Fanny Bernard
Fire Information Officer
Wildfire Management Branch
Southeast Fire Centre
250 365-4056

Slocan Park Fire Media Contact:

Noelle Kekula
Fire Information Officer
Wildfire Management Branch
Southeast Fire Centre
250 359-2008 (office)
250 319-4815 (cell)