Effective immediately, there is an area restriction order for Crown land in the vicinity of the Shovel Lake wildfire, which is burning about 30 kilometres northeast of Burns Lake and about 25 kilometres northwest of Fraser Lake.

The Shovel Lake fire currently covers about 2,000 hectares. The BC Wildfire Service has 75 personnel on site today, supported by 17 pieces of heavy equipment, five helicopters and airtankers.

This area restriction was put in place to protect public safety due to the wildfire’s rate of spread and to avoid interference with fire suppression efforts. The area restriction will remain in place until noon on Sept. 15, 2018, or until the order is rescinded.

The area restriction order applies to all Crown land outlined on the map that is available online at: http://ow.ly/X8Mr30lbPR9

Under this order and the Wildfire Act, a person must not remain in or enter the Shovel Lake wildfire restricted area without prior written authorization from an official designated for the purposes of the Wildfire Act, unless the person enters the area only in the course of:

• travelling to or from his or her principle residence that is not under an evacuation order;
• travelling to or from leased property for the purposes of accessing a secondary residence or recreational property that is not under an evacuation order;
• travelling as a person acting in an official capacity;
• travelling for the purpose of supporting wildfire suppression activities;
• using a highway as defined in the Transportation Act; and
• engaging and/or participating in agricultural activities pertaining to livestock management on private or leased property.

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, go to: www.bcwildfire.ca

You can also follow the latest wildfire news:

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