Due to decreased fire activity, cooler weather and recent progress made by firefighting crews, regional districts in the Southeast Fire Centre and the BC Wildfire Service have made some changes to existing area restrictions and evacuation alerts.

Regional District of East Kootenay:

• Effective at 6 p.m. Mountain time on Sept. 18, 2017, the evacuation order and alert for the community of Moyie will be rescinded. For more information, visit the Regional District of East Kootenay website: http://www.rdek.bc.ca
• The evacuation alert that was in place for the community of Newgate (and south to the United States border) has been rescinded. For more information, call the Regional District of East Kootenay at 250 426-2188 or visit the district’s website: http://www.rdek.bc.ca

Regional District of Central Kootenay:

• The evacuation alert for the Poplar Creek area has been rescinded, effective immediately, due to a decrease in wildfire activity. For more information, visit the Regional District of Central Kootenay’s website: http://www.rdck.ca 

Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development:

• The area restriction that was in place for Moyie Lake has been rescinded. For more information about the fire near Moyie Lake, please visit: http://ow.ly/WtY930ffJPK

However, one additional road closure is now in effect:

Road closure implemented for Etna Creek Forest Service Road:

• To assist fire suppression activities and to protect the safety of the public and first responders, a full closure of the Etna Creek Forest Service Road (from the 0.5-kilometre mark to the Lamb Creek Forest Service Road junction) has been implemented, effective immediately on Sept. 18, 2017.
• A detailed map showing the area affected by this road closure is available online: http://ow.ly/LuJt30ffypF

With the approach of fall, cooler weather has decreased the aggressive fire behaviour that the Southeast Fire Centre has experienced in recent weeks. The shorter days and cooler nights are also helping firefighting activities and recent rainfall has helped decrease fire danger ratings in some areas of the Southeast Fire Centre. A detailed map indicating today’s fire danger ratings is available online: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/wildfire-status/fire-danger

The Southeast Fire Centre extends from the U.S. border in the south to the Mica Dam in the north and from the Okanagan Highlands and Monashee Mountains in the west to the B.C.-Alberta border in the east. The Southeast Fire Centre includes the Selkirk Natural Resource District and the Rocky Mountain Natural Resource District.

The public is reminded that the use of off-road-vehicles is currently prohibited on Crown land in the Southeast Fire Centre. To report an off-road-vehicle violation, call the Report all Poachers and Polluters (RAPP) line at 1 877 952-7277.

To report a wildfire or open burning violation, call *5555 on a cellphone or 1 800 663-5555 toll-free. For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, visit: www.bcwildfire.ca

You can also follow the latest wildfire news on:

• Twitter: http://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo