Prince George, B.C. – The snow is gone,  the grass is dry, and the fires have started.

While the fire danger rating in most of the Prince George Fire Centre is moderate,  the B.C. Wildfire Management Branch says it has  responded to  seven new wildfires in the Prince George Fire Centre  since Monday.

It's suspected that all of these fires were caused by people.

Prince George Fire Centre crews helped several local fire departments deal with escaped yard fires and  responded to multiple wildfires resulting from poorly planned or inadequately monitored open burns.  The most significant was on the north side of the Peace River at Taylor.  Now in the mop up stage, that fire,  spotted on Monday consumed  more than 85 hectares.

Last year,  there were 1857 wildfires in the province, 353 of them in the Prince George Fire Centre which is bounded by the Alberta border  to the east,  the Yukon Border to the north ( see photo at  right).

As was noted  just yesterday  in the city of Prince George ( not to be confused with the Prince George Fire Centre) grassfire hazards are real.  There were several small grass fires  along Highway 16 yesterday in a stretch from  the Treasure Cove Casino to the Northland Dodge dealership.

The Wildfire Management Branch is  calling on members of the public to be  extremely  careful when using fire to clean up their properties.

Although clearing and burning activities at this time of year can mitigate interface wildfire risks, any open burning must be done safely. Homeowners and industry personnel are encouraged to visit the Wildfire Management Branch website at www.bcwildfire.ca/Prevention and take the following precautions:

* Ensure that enough people, water and tools are on hand to control the fire and prevent it from escaping.

* Do not burn during windy conditions. Weather conditions can change quickly and the wind may carry embers to other combustible material and start new fires.

* Create a fireguard at least one metre around the planned fire site by clearing away twigs, grass, leaves and other combustible material.

* Never leave a fire unattended.

* Make sure that your fire is completely extinguished and the ashes are cold to the touch before you leave the area.

Before conducting any burn, also check with your local fire department, municipality and regional district to see if any open burning restrictions or bylaws are in effect.

If you are planning to do any large-scale industrial burning or conduct a grass burn over 0.2 hectares (Category 3 fires), you must obtain a burn registration number ahead of time by calling  1 888 797-1717 .

Always check the venting conditions before conducting an open burn. The venting index can be  found here.