亚洲天堂 Lake is encountering its first fire bans of the season.

As of noon, May 13, the Northwest Fire Centre (NWFC) is imposing a Category 2 & Category 3 open fire prohibition. It applies to the entire Bulkley Zone and Nadina Zone, which, in addition to the towns of Smithers and Houston, also covers the entire Lakes District region.

It also applies within the town boundaries of 亚洲天堂 Lake, which has its own fire protection services and bylaws but chooses to mirror the regional rules.

鈥淥ur Open Burning bylaw copies the BCWS restrictions. As soon as a restriction is in place for Crown land, we follow their lead in the Village,鈥� said Rob Krause, director of public services for the Village of 亚洲天堂 Lake.

The weather for this week is expected to hover in the high 20s and even in the low 30s for daytime highs, and the lows at night still in the double digits on the Celsius scale. Little cloud and no lightning is expected for the middle of this week.

鈥淭his open burning prohibition will prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety,鈥� said a spokesperson for the NWFC.

According to provincial regulations, a Category 2 & 3 open fire includes the following:

- One to two concurrently burning piles no larger than two metres high by three metres wide or burning stubble or grass over an area less than 0.2 hectares;

- burning of one or more windrows;

- burning of stubble or grass over an area greater than 0.2 hectares; and

- fireworks.

鈥淭his prohibition does not ban campfires that are a half-metre high by a half-metre wide or smaller and does not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane, or briquettes,鈥� said the NWFC鈥檚 statement. 鈥淗uman-caused wildfires are completely preventable and divert critical resources away from lightning-caused fires. Always practice safe, responsible fire use where permitted.鈥�

This prohibition will remain in place until 12 noon on June 15, or until the public is otherwise notified.

鈥淎nyone found in contravention of an open-burning prohibition may be issued a violation ticket for $1,150, may be required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $10,000 or, if convicted in court, may be 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,鈥� said NWFC personnel.

Krause said these restrictions were early in the year, but not unprecedented.

鈥淲hile this year is drier than normal, it was May long weekend in 1983 that the infamous Swiss fire started. So this is not completely out of the ordinary,鈥� he said, referencing one of the most challenging fires in modern times, for the Lakes District. 鈥淔urther complicating matters is the fact that with fires already burning in Alberta and northeast B.C., crews are quickly being used. The Province is trying to reduce the chance of additional man-caused starts.鈥�

The hot weather is adding another challenge to the environmental conditions of the region and province. Flooding is already a calamity in the southern interior. The Lakes District has not experienced anything extreme so far, and the BC River Firecast Centre has the Ootsa-Francois-亚洲天堂-Decker-Fraser Lakes area except even from high stream-flow advisories, Babine Lake and its immediate watershed are on that level of alert. These conditions can change quickly depending on how the freshet shapes up based on the high-country snowpack melt.

To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cell phone.