News and event information for Williams Lake, BC - as it happens.

Effective at noon Thursday, July 29, all open burning, including campfires and fireworks, will be prohibited across the Cariboo Fire Centre's jurisdiction, including Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, to help prevent human-caused wildfires and to protect public safety.

This prohibition is necessary due to dry forest fuels and a forecast for a prolonged period without substantial rain. The public is urged to exercise caution on forested land with any activity that could lead to a wildfire. Please discard cigarettes carefully and limit movement of ATVs and motorcycles through tall grass and undergrowth. This ban applies to open fires of any size, including campfires, fires with a burn registration number and industrial burning, fireworks, tiki torches and burning barrels.

The ban does not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes, or to portable campfire apparatus with a CSA or ULC rating using briquettes, liquid or gaseous fuel, as long as the flame is kept under 15 centimetres in length.The ban covers the Cariboo Fire Centre's entire jurisdiction, and, in addition, Tweedsmuir Park. A map of the area is available at http://bcwildfire.ca/ftp/!Project/WildfireNews/7262010~115210_CFC%20Tweeds.jpg

Within this area, the ban covers all BC Parks, Crown and private lands, but does not apply within the boundaries of local governments that have forest fire prevention bylaws and are serviced by a fire department. Please check with civic authorities for any restrictions before lighting a fire. Anyone found in violation of an open fire ban, including campfires, may be issued a ticket for $345.

Should a wildfire occur as a result of recklessness, a person can be fined up to $1 million or spend three years in prison and be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.

The ban will be in place until the public is otherwise notified. The Cariboo Fire Centre covers an area of about 10.3 million hectares, stretching from Clinton (Loon Lake) to the south, north to Cottonwood River just north of Quesnel, east to the western boundary of Wells Gray Provincial Park and west to the western boundary of Tweedsmuir Provincial Park.

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