CASTLEGAR – BC Wildfire Service personnel will be conducting a prescribed burn in the Hooker Creek area (about nine kilometres east of Crawford Bay) during the month of June 2017.

This project could begin as early as Monday, June 5, weather and site conditions permitting.

Smoke from this 16-hectare controlled burn will be visible from Highway 31 and the communities of Crawford Bay, Riondel, Queens Bay, Ainsworth and Balfour. Trained BC Wildfire Service personnel will carefully monitor this fire at all times.

The goal of this burn is to reduce accumulations of dead and combustible material (forest fuels), delay the growth of competing vegetation and decrease the risk of catastrophic wildfires in the area. After the burn project has been completed, the site will be prepared for tree planting.

All prescribed burns must comply with the Environmental Management Act and the open burning smoke control regulation. This helps minimize the amount of smoke generated.

To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cellphone. For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, visit: http://www.bcwildfire.ca

You can also follow the latest wildfire news:

• On Twitter: http://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo 
• On Facebook: http://facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo

Learn More:

A factsheet about prescribed burns and ecosystem restoration burns is available online: http://ow.ly/E8Ue30br7OY