As of noon today, open fires and fireworks are banned in the Peace Regional District of the Prince George Fire Centre.
The ban, in place until Oct. 31 or until otherwise notified, is to help prevent human-caused wildfires and to protect the public.
Specifically, the ban applies to the burning of any waste, slash, stubble or grass and the use of fireworks or burning barrels of any size or description. It does not prohibit campfires measuring a half a metre high by half a metre wide or smaller or apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes.
The fire ban covers all provincial parks, Crown lands and private lands in the Peace Regional District, but doesn't apply within the boundaries of local governments that have forest fire prevention bylaws and are serviced by a fire department.
Anyone found disobeying the fire ban may be fined $345 or, if convicted in court, face up to one year in jail and a $100,000 fine.
So far this season, crews from the Prince George Fire Centre have responded to 350 wildfires since April 1 - 127 caused by humans and 218 by lightning strikes. These have burned a total of 44,437 hectares.
Lightning is responsible for a fire currently burning about 1,700 hectares near Entiako Lake. Over the weekend, smoke from that blaze was visible in Prince George and surrounding communities such as Burns Lake, Vanderhoof, Tumbler Ridge and Fort St. James.
