A lightning-sparked fire just outside of Salmo marks the 25th wildfire in the Southeast Fire Centre since the season began April 30.
The fire was discovered in the Archibald Creek area on Thursday, which is about 2.5 kilometers south of the Highway 3 and Highway 3B junction.
Confined to a small area by an initial attack crew, the 0.10-hectare fire was listed as “under control” on Monday.
A Category 3 prohibition is now in place throughout the Southeast Fire Centre.
That means the burning of any material, piled or unpiled, cannot be larger than two metres high or three metres wide. Further, the burning of stubble or grass over an area larger than 2,000-square metres is prohibited, as is burning more than two piles of any size.
The prohibition went into effect on Friday and encompasses the Rocky Mountain Natural Resource District as well as the Selkirk Natural Resource District.
“The BC Wildfire Service is implementing this prohibition to help prevent wildfires sparked by Category 3 burns, and to protect public safety,” the district advised. “This prohibition will remain in place until the public is otherwise notified.”
These restrictions apply to all public and private land unless otherwise specified, such as through a local government bylaw.
Notably, the City of Trail and Village of Fruitvale and the Village of Montrose have a year-round ban on open burning, while Rossland allows the practise with a special burning permit.
From Nov. 1 to April 30 the Village of Warfield permits open burning without a permit.
Residential property owners in Area A and Area B are governed by Southeast Fire Centre policies.
The prohibition does not apply to campfires that are smaller than a half-metre high by a half-metre wide; cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes; or open fires that are smaller than two metres by three metres.
Across the province there have been 262 wildfires to date and almost 37,000-hectares burned, including 82 hectares in the southeast district.
So far the Prince George region has been most affected with 97 fires on record and 32,015-hectares burned.
Anyone found in contravention of an open burning 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 extends from the U.S. border in the south to Mica Dam in the north, and from the Okanagan Highlands and Monashee Mountains in the west, to the B.C.-Alberta border in the east.
