Effective at noon on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, Category 2 open fires will once again be permitted throughout the Prince George Fire Centre’s jurisdiction, due to cooler temperatures and recent rainfall.

Category 3 open fires and campfires are also allowed within the Prince George Fire Centre, provided people follow open burning regulations. The use of fireworks, burning barrels, tiki torches and sky lanterns is also permitted.

Category 2 fires are fires that:

• burn material in piles smaller than two metres high and three metres wide.
• burn stubble or grass over an area smaller than 2,000 square metres.

Category 3 fires are fires that:

• burn material larger than two metres high and three metres wide.
• burn stubble or grass over an area greater than 2,000 square metres.
• burn more than two piles of any size.

A poster explaining the different categories of open burning is available online: http://ow.ly/jdO5301kS32

Anyone wishing to light a Category 3 fire must first obtain a burn registration number by calling 1 888 797-1717 and comply with air quality control legislation. Anyone lighting an open fire must have sufficient personnel, water and equipment on hand to prevent it spreading and to fully extinguish it. Before lighting any fire, people should check with local authorities to see if any burning bylaws or other restrictions are in effect.

Campfires must be smaller than a half-metre tall and a half-metre wide. Anyone lighting a campfire must have a hand tool (such as a shovel) or at least eight litres of water available nearby to extinguish it. Do not light fires or keep them burning during windy conditions and make sure that they are fully extinguished before leaving the area for any length of time.

The Prince George Fire Centre extends from the borders of the Yukon and Northwest Territories in the north to Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, Cottonwood River and Robson Valley in the south, and from the Alberta border in the east to the Skeena Mountains in the west.

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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