Effective at noon on Monday, April 23, 2018, Category 3 open fires were prohibited throughout the Cariboo Fire Centre and within the Tsilhqot’in (Xeni Gwet’in) Declared Title Area.

This expanded open burning prohibition, which is being implemented in co-operation with the Tsilhqot’in National Government and the community of Xeni Gwet’in, is intended to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.

Specifically, prohibited activities in these areas include:

• any fire larger than two metres high by three metres wide
• three or more concurrently burning piles no larger than two metres high by three metres wide
• one or more burning windrows
• burning of stubble or grass over an area greater than 0.2 hectares

This prohibition will remain in place until midnight on Sept. 29, 2018, or until the public is otherwise notified.

This prohibition does not ban campfires that are no larger than a half-metre in height by a half-metre in width. This prohibition also does not apply to Category 2 fires, which include: the burning of material in one pile not exceeding two metres in height and three metres in width, the burning of material concurrently burning in two piles, each not exceeding two metres in height by three metres in width, or the burning of stubble or grass over an area that does not exceed 0.2 hectares.

A poster explaining the different categories of open burning is available online at: http://ow.ly/znny309kJv5

This expanded 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 found in contravention of an open burning prohibition may be issued a 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.

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 area affected by this Category 3 open burning prohibition is available at: http://ow.ly/cLgP30jDyW4  

To report a wildfire, unattended campfire 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, visit: www.bcwildfire.ca

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