CASTLEGAR – To help reduce the risk of wildfires, the BC Wildfire Service is supporting the Selkirk Resource District Risk Reduction Program in conducting a prescribed burn in the Rock Creek area. This burn is located within the community of Rock Creek and will cover up to 69 hectares.
The exact timing of this burn will depend on weather and site conditions, but it could begin as early as Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
Key goals include:
- Reduce accumulations of dead wood and other combustible material
- Delay the growth of competing vegetation
- Decrease the risk of future catastrophic wildfires in the area
Residents can expect to see personnel in the area as the site is prepared. In the days leading up to the main burn, smoke may be visible as part of blacklining operations. Blacklining is when fuels are pre-burnt in small sections next to the burn perimeter to reinforce containment lines. For this prescribed burn, blacklining will happen before the main ignitions.
Burning will proceed if conditions are suitable to achieve objectives and allow for smoke dispersal, though smoke may linger in the following days, particularly the morning after burn operations. Despite all precautions to manage it, unintended smoke impacts are possible after any burn.
Smoke may impact residents near the burn area and may be visible from Rock Creek and surrounding communities, and to motorists travelling along Highway 3 and 33.
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV or drone) resource will be supporting ignition operations. Residents can expect to see UAVs in the area during the burn.
Our contract drone operators are certified by Nav Canada for Advanced Drone Operations and require a segregated airspace for safety. It is important to note that the operation of any aircraft, including drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), not associated with suppression or prescribed fire activities in the area near a prescribed burn or wildfire is illegal. More information on drones and UAVs, including Transport Canada regulations, is available online.
Fire is a normal and natural process in many of B.C.’s ecosystems. The BC Wildfire Service works regularly with land managers to undertake fuel management activities (including the use of prescribed burns), to help achieve land management objectives, reduce the severity of future wildfires and increase ecosystem and wildfire resilience. These projects are carefully planned and only go ahead at the right times and under the right conditions to ensure community and practitioner safety.
Learn more about prescribed burning online at prescribedfire.ca.
To report a wildfire, dial *5555 on a cell phone or call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free. To report an unattended campfire or open burning violation, call the RAPP line on 1 877 952-7277. You can also use the Report function in the BC Wildfire App to report a wildfire. Reporting though the app lets you upload images and can be used without service.
For the latest information on current wildfire activity, prohibitions and restrictions, road closures and air-quality advisories please visit BCWildfire.ca, the BC Wildfire Map, or use the BC Wildfire app.
Follow the latest wildfire news on:
Contact
Amber Cooke
Land and Resource Coordinator – Wildfire Risk Reduction
Selkirk Resource District
778 364-0676
Amber.Cooke@gov.bc.ca
Fire Information Officer
Southeast Fire Centre
BC Wildfire Service
250 318-7715
BCWS.SEFCInformationOfficer@gov.bc.ca
Connect with the Province of B.C. at www.gov.bc.ca/connect.