The Wildfire Management Branch is currently responding to eight new wildfires in the Prince George Fire Centre. Six of these fires are in the northeast corner of the province.

The largest of these fires is currently a 75 hectare fire burning east of Mount Bigfoot.

The Petitot River fire is currently 3,500 hectares in size and the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality has issued an Evacuation Alert for an oil and gas facility 10 kilometres to the east of this fire. More information can be found online at: www.northernrockies.ca  

These new fires are currently being assessed and prioritized. Many of them are in remote areas and access by ground is limited. All of these fires are suspected to be lightning-caused.

Human-caused fires are preventable and divert critical resources away from naturally occurring fires. Forest and grass fuels throughout the Prince George Fire Centre are very dry and the fire risk is serious. The Wildfire Management Branch is urging members of the public to use extreme caution when they’re in the backcountry. New fires may start easily, burn vigorously and challenge fire suppression efforts.

Up-to-date information on burning restrictions and current wildfire activity can be obtained online at: www.bcwildfire.ca or by calling 1 888 3-FOREST.

To report smoke, flames or an unattended campfire, call 1 800 663-5555 or *5555 on a cellphone.

You can also follow the latest wildfire news on:

• Twitter at: http://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo 
• Facebook at: http://facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo  

Media Contacts:

Jillian Kelsh
Fire Information Officer
Wildfire Management Branch
Prince George Fire Centre
250 565-6129 (office)
250 961-4176 (cell)