Effective at noon on Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016, Category 2 open fires will be prohibited throughout the Prince George Fire Centre to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.

Anyone conducting a Category 2 fire anywhere in the Prince George Fire Centre must extinguish any such fire by noon on Aug. 18, 2016. This prohibition will remain in effect until Sept. 30, 2016, or until the public is otherwise notified.

A map of the affected area is available online: http://ow.ly/urJ7303i5OH

Specifically, prohibited activities will include:

• The burning of any material (piled or unpiled) smaller than two metres high and three metres wide.
• The burning of stubble or grass over an area less than 2,000 square metres.
• The use of burning barrels or burning cages of any size or description.
• The use of sky lanterns, tiki torches or fireworks.
• The use of stoves and other portable campfire apparatuses that are not CSA/ULC approved.

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 applies to all BC Parks, Crown lands and private lands, but 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. Please check with local government authorities for any other restrictions before lighting any fire.

Anyone wishing to light a larger fire (Category 3) must comply with open burning regulations and must first obtain a burn registration number by calling 1 888 797-1717. A poster explaining the different categories of open burning is available online: http://ow.ly/jdO5301kS32

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 *5555 on a cellphone.

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