A new Area Restriction Order is in effect immediately around wildfires near Canal Flats to protect the safety of firefighting personnel and the public. This Area Restriction Order is in addition to the earlier order put in place on July 30, 2014.

This new area restriction includes the following:

• The entire East Fork of the White River Forest Service Road from approximately the 46-km mark to Munroe Lake.
• The Bull River Forest Service Road south to approximately the 95-km mark.
• The entire crown land portion of the Crossing Creek Trail east to Round Prairie.

A map of this area restriction is online at: http://bit.ly/1oNxyP0

The following forest service roads remain closed:

• The main Whiteswan Forest Service Road from Highway 93/95 junction to the 32-km marker.
• The main Kootenay Forest Service Road from the 3-km marker to 34.5-km (White Rock Forest Service Road and Kootenay Forest Service Road junction).
• The entire White-Rock Forest Service Road.

A map of this area restriction can be found at: http://bit.ly/1qM4kmL

Access roads leading to Whiteswan Provincial Park remain closed. This access restriction has resulted in the park closing until further notice.

The White Tail Brook fire is the largest fire in the area and covers an estimated 1,700 hectares. No structures or communities are immediately threatened by any of these fires at this time.

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.

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

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