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UPDATE: Chehalis River Wildfire upgraded to wildfire of note

The human-caused blaze has burned 800 hectares
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Smoke from wildfires north of Harrison Hot Springs billowed over the mountains on the village’s horizon on Tuesday afternoon. (Photo/Kelly Maxwell)

Update: 4:56 p.m.

B.C. Wildfire Service indicates the Chehalis River wildfire has grown to 800 hectares.

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Three wildfires in the Agassiz-Harrison area that started this past weekend are still burning.

The Chehalis River wildfire – the largest in Agassiz-Harrison so far this year – has grown to 500 hectares in size, according to the most recent data from the B.C. Wildfire Service.

The Chehalis River wildfire has been upgraded to a wildfire of note – a wildfire that is highly visible or poses a potential threat to public safety.According to live updates, the fire east of the Chehalis River and north of Harrison Hot Springs has been burning for four days. Investigators deteremined the fire was human-caused.

The Statiu Creek fire to the west of Harrison Lake has grown from 12 to 73 hectares over the course of two days. It also remains out of control as of press time.

The Francis Lake wildfire is under control, holding at less than one hectare.

Late Tuesday afternoon, the province place a campfire and open fire ban on the entire Coastal Fire Centre except the Haida Gwaii Forest District, effective Thursday (June 8). This is to prevent further human-caused wildfires and to protect the safety of the public.

These prohibitions apply to all public and private land within the Coastal Fire Centre jurisdiction, unless specified otherwise in an enactment. Always check with local government authorities to see if any other burning restrictions are in effect. This ban is in place until Halloween or until the order is rescinded.

In addition to open fires being prohibited, the following activities and equipment are also restricted:

Fireworks

Sky lanterns

Burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description

Binary exploding targets

Air curtain burners

Tiki and similar kind of torches

Chimineas (outdoor fireplaces)

This prohibition does not include the use of outdoor stoves.

Anyone who lights, fuels or uses an open fire when a fire prohibition is in place or fails to comply with an open fire prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150 or, if convicted in court, 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 subject to a penalty of up to $100,000 and ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.

Air quality is expected to worsen in the eastern Fraser Valley, reaching category 4 as of Wednesday. This places the air in a moderate risk range. This means residents may wish to consider rescheduling strenuous activities outdoors if they are experiencing respiratory symptoms. Unless there are symptoms like coughing or throat irritation, most people can have their usual activities outside.

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