Effective at noon on Wednesday, May 23, 2018, Category 2 and 3 open fires will be prohibited throughout the Cariboo Fire Centre to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.

Specifically, prohibited activities include:

• the burning of any waste, slash or other materials
• open fires larger than 0.5 by 0.5 metres
• stubble or grass fires of any size over any area
• the use of burning barrels or burning cages or any size or description
• the use of sky lanterns
• the use of fireworks
• the use of binary exploding targets (e.g. for target practice)
• the use of air curtain burners

A map of the area affected by this open burning prohibition is available at: http://ow.ly/q40P30k4sHB

Anyone conducting a Category 2 open burn anywhere in the Cariboo Fire Centre must extinguish any such fire by noon on May 23. Category 3 open fires have been prohibited since April 23, 2018. This prohibition will remain in place until Sept. 29, 2018, or until the public is otherwise notified.

This prohibition is being implemented due to an increase in fire danger ratings caused by a drying trend throughout the Cariboo Fire Centre. Anyone conducting Category 2 open burning prior to this date is urged to use caution, and must follow open burning regulations as defined in the Wildfire Act and Regulation.

This prohibition does not ban campfires that are a half-metre by a half-metre wide or smaller, and does not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes.

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

These prohibitions apply to all public and private land unless specified otherwise — for example, in a local government bylaw. 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.

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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