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**With files provided by BC Wildfire Service, Ministry of Forests.

Castlegar, BC (July 5, 2023) --  Effective at 1:00pm (MDT) on Friday, July 7, 2023, Category 2 open fires will be prohibited throughout the Southeast Fire Centre.
 
This prohibition is being implemented due to increased fire danger ratings and a warming trend throughout the Southeast. Anyone who has been conducting Category 2 open burning anywhere in the Southeast Fire Centre must extinguish any such fire by the deadline.
 
A map of the affected area can be found here.

This prohibition will remain in place until October 28th, 2023 or the public is otherwise notified.
 
Specifically, the following is now prohibited:

• Category 2 burning as defined in the Wildfire Regulation 
    - One to two concurrently burning piles no larger than two metres high by three metres wide;
    - burning of stubble or grass over an area less than 0.2 hectares
• the use of fireworks
• the use of binary exploding targets
• the use of air curtain burners
• the use of sky lanterns, and
• the use of burn barrels or burn cages

This prohibition does not apply to category 1 - 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 May 18th, 2023.

To learn more about the different categories of open burning, visit the Open Burning webpage.

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. Wildfire prevention is a shared responsibility. Human-caused wildfires are completely preventable and divert critical resources away from lightning-caused wildfires.

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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