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CASTLEGAR (Tuesday July 12, 2022) - Effective at noon PST (1pm MT) on Friday, July 15, 2022, Category 2 open fires will be prohibited throughout the Southeast Fire Centre to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.
Anyone who has been conducting Category 2 open burning anywhere in the Southeast Fire Centre must extinguish any such fire by the deadline. This prohibition will remain in place until Oct. 15, 2022 or until the public is otherwise notified. 

A map of the areas affected by these prohibitions is available online: http://ow.ly/WK9250JU3w5
 
As of noon (1pm MT) on Friday, July 15, specifically prohibited activities will include:
•    Category 2 open fires: One to two concurrently burning piles no larger than two metres high by three metres wide or burning stubble or grass over an area less than 0.2 hectares;
•    Fireworks;
•    Sky Lanterns; 
•    Exploding binary targets; 
•    Air curtain burners and,
•    Burn Barrels or Burn Cages of any size or description, except when used for a campfire as defined by the Wildfire Regulation. 

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

Larger Category 3 open fires have been prohibited throughout the Southeast Fire Centre since June 30, 2022. 

More information on the different categories of open burning is available online: http://ow.ly/wrwE50JTb0C

These prohibitions apply to all public and private land, unless specified otherwise (e.g., in a local government bylaw). Check with local government authorities for any other restrictions before lighting any fire.

Anyone found in contravention of an open fire 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 Southeast Fire Centre would like to thank the public for its continuing help in preventing wildfires. To report a wildfire 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: bcwildfire.ca

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