Effective at noon on Wednesday, April 27, 2016, Category 3 open fires will once again be allowed in some southern sections of the Prince George Fire Centre’s jurisdiction. However, Category 2 open burning remains restricted throughout the entire Prince George Fire Centre.

The BC Wildfire Service is rescinding its large-scale and Category 3 open burning in the Prince George, Vanderhoof, Fort St. James and Mackenzie natural resource districts due to cooler and wetter conditions and a decreased wildfire risk in the region.

The following Category 3 activities are now allowed in those areas:

• Burning material concurrently in three or more piles, each not exceeding two metres in height and three metres in width.
• Burning material in one or more piles, each exceeding two metres in height or three metres in width.
• Burning one or more windrows.
• Burning stubble or grass over an area exceeding 0.2 hectares (more than 2,000 square metres).

A poster explaining the different categories of open burning is available online: bit.ly/1GlhE9l

A map of affected areas within the Prince George Fire Centre is available online: http://bit.ly/21eFk5Q

The remaining prohibitions do not ban campfires that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide or smaller, and do not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes.

The prohibitions apply to all BC Parks, Crown lands and private lands, but do not apply within the boundaries of a local government that has forest fire prevention bylaws in place and is serviced by a fire department. Please check with local government authorities for any other restrictions before lighting any fire.

Anyone found in contravention of an open burning prohibition may be issued a violation ticket for $1,150, 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 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or dial *5555 on a cellphone.

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