The BC Wildfire Service plans to conduct a 17-hectare prescribed burn in the Crawford Creek area as early as Monday, May 13, 2019, to help reduce wildfire threats and prepare the area for replanting.

This burn project will tie into the successful 12-hectare prescribed burn that was carried out in the same area earlier this spring.

The burn site is about 10 kilometres east of Crawford Bay, and smoke may be visible from Crawford Bay, Queens Bay, Balfour, Ainsworth and surrounding communities. Smoke may also be visible to motorists travelling along Highway 3A and Highway 31.

The exact timing of this second burn will depend on weather and site conditions. Trained BC Wildfire Service personnel will monitor this fire at all times.

Key goals of this prescribed burn include:

• reducing accumulations of dead and combustible material;
• delaying the growth of competing vegetation, and
• decreasing the risk of future catastrophic wildfires in the area.

Burning will proceed only if conditions are suitable and allow for low- to moderate-intensity fire. All prescribed burns must comply with the Environmental Management Act and the Open Burning Smoke Control Regulation. This helps minimize the amount of smoke generated.

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: http://www.bcwildfire.ca

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Learn More:

A factsheet about prescribed burns and ecosystem restoration burns is available online: http://ow.ly/E8Ue30br7OY