People living in the communities of Canal Flats, Elkford and Invermere may notice large columns of smoke in the air as a result of proactive burning starting on Monday, Aug. 18, 2014, around the lightning-caused wildfires that make up the White Complex.

Several of these wildfires are located in very steep and dangerous terrain and these burn-offs are necessary to limit the potential growth and direction of the fires. The objective is to guide the fire toward control lines at the valley bottoms where containment can be established. No communities or structures are threatened by any of these fires at this time.

Although the fire danger has dropped in most of Southeast British Columbia, it remains “Moderate” to “High” in the areas surrounding the White Complex. The Southeast Fire Centre is urging the public to be extra cautious with campfires 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 Southeast Fire Centre would like to remind aircraft operators that when smoke or flame are identified in a wildland area the surrounding airspace (over a forest fire area, or over any area that is located within five nautical miles of a forest fire, at an altitude of less than 915 metres or 3,000 feet above ground level) automatically becomes flight restricted under the authority of Section 601.15 of the Canadian Aviation Regulation.

As per Section 601.17 of the regulation, all air traffic, including drones wishing to access the restricted air space of a wildfire incident may do so only with the permission of the regional wildfire coordination centre responsible for managing that fire. Aircraft will be granted access to restricted airspace only when and if it is safe to do so.

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

Media Contacts:

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

Noelle Kekula
Fire Information Officer
Wildfire Management Branch
White Complex
250 410-0516