Effective at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 11, 2017 all Crown land within the Cariboo Fire Centre is closed to public access due to the continued extreme fire danger and the number of active wildfires throughout the region.

High winds are expected to increase fire activity over the next few days.

The area restriction order means that a person must not remain in or enter the restricted area without the prior written authorization of an official designated for the purposes of the Wildfire Act, unless the person enters the area in the course of:

a) travelling to or from his or her residence, that is not under an evacuation order;
b) using a highway as defined in the Transportation Act;
c) travelling as a person acting in an official capacity;
d) travelling for the purpose of supporting wildfire suppression activities;
e) engaging in a commercial activity within the regular course of the person’s business or employment; or,
f) participating in a commercial activity that a person described in (e) provides.

The Cariboo Fire Centre stretches from Loon Lake (near Clinton) in the south to the Cottonwood River (near Quesnel) in the north and from Tweedsmuir Provincial Park in the west to Wells Gray Provincial Park in the east.

A map of the affected area is available online at: http://ow.ly/SFhP30elHuP

Evacuation orders and evacuation alerts issued by the Cariboo Regional District remain in place. For more information about these alerts and orders, please visit: http://ow.ly/9laX30ekdew

Smoky conditions may persist in the coming weeks. For information on air quality, as well as smoke forecasts for Western Canada, visit the BC Air Quality website: www.bcairquality.ca/bluesky/west/index.html

To report a wildfire or open burning violation, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cellphone. 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: http://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo