Prince George, B.C. – The B.C. Wildfire Service is reinforcing its advisory issued this week that fire prohibitions are in effect and must be obeyed.

Fire Information Officer Marg Drysdale says the Prince George Fire Centre office has been receiving reports from various areas within the Fire Centre that people are ignoring the prohibitions and are proceeding to light fires in areas in which they are not currently permitted.  She says “while we know that there is a cooling trend right now we ask that people please abide by the prohibitions.  They are in place for a reason.”

Prohibited activities as of noon Wednesday, April 20^th include:

-the burning of any waste, slash or other materials

-stubble or grass fires of any size over any area

-the use of burning barrels or burning cages of any size or description

-the use of sky lanterns, tiki torches or fireworks

-the use of stove and other portable campfire apparatuses that are not CSA/ULC approved

These restrictions will remain in effect until further notice.

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

Anyone found breaking the prohibition will be subject to a $1,150 ticket, required to pay an administrative penalty of $10,000 or, if convicted in court, fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to a year in jail.

If the contravention leads to a wildfire, the guilty party may be responsible for paying all firefighting and related costs.

The fire danger rating in the Prince George Fire Centre is predominantly moderate, with small pockets to the west and northeast of Prince George listed in the high category.