Smoke from a wildfire in the Elaho Valley, located 67 kilometres west of Pemberton, is drifting into the Squamish/Pemberton valley. Residents may continue to see smoke as Wildfire Management Branch crews work to suppress this fire.

The Elaho fire currently covers an estimated 15 hectares. It was human-caused, but does not appear to originate from industrial activity. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

As of today, 22 firefighters, two helicopters and two fallers are working on the fire.

Depending on prevailing winds, smoke can travel long distances. For information about air quality and satellite imagery from the BlueSky Western Canada Wildfire Smoke Forecasting System, please go to: www.bcairquality.ca

The public is reminded that campfires are the only open fires currently allowed within the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdictional area. Campfires may not be larger than 0.5 metres wide by 0.5 metres high and can only be used for recreational purposes. Any other type of open fire is currently illegal within the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction.

The Coastal Fire Centre covers all of the area west of the height of land on the Coast Mountain Range from the U.S.-Canada border at Manning Park, including Tweedsmuir South Provincial Park in the north, the Sunshine Coast, the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and Haida Gwaii.

Anyone lighting a campfire must establish a fireguard by removing flammable debris from around the campfire area, and must have a hand tool or at least eight litres of water available to properly put out the fire. A campfire must never be left unattended and must be completely extinguished before the person leaves the site for any length of time.

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

Media Contacts:

Donna MacPherson or Marg Drysdale
Fire Information Officer
Wildfire Management Branch
Coastal Fire Centre
250 951-4209