Effective at noon Pacific Time on Thursday, July 2, 2015, Category 2 and Category 3 open fires will be prohibited in the Prince George Fire Centre to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.

Anyone conducting Category 2 or Category 3 open fires anywhere in the Prince George Fire Centre must extinguish any such fires by noon on July 2, 2015. This prohibition will remain in effect until Sept. 30, 2015, or until the public is otherwise notified.

A map of the affected areas is available online at: http://bit.ly/1R0lObD

Specifically, prohibited activities will include:

• the burning of stubble or grass
• any fire larger than a campfire
• fireworks and firecrackers
• burn barrels
• tiki torches and similar kinds of torches

This prohibition does not ban campfires that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide (or smaller) and it does not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes.

This prohibition covers all BC Parks, Crown lands and private lands, but it does not apply within the boundaries of a local government that has forest-fire prevention bylaws in place and is serviced by a fire department. Before lighting any fire, residents should check with local authorities regarding any current prohibitions.

Anyone found in contravention of an open burning prohibition may be issued a ticket for $345, required to pay an administrative penalty of $10,000 or, if convicted in court, fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to one year in jail. If the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.

To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, call *5555 on your cellphone or call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free.

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:

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