An expanded area restriction for all Crown land in the vicinity of the Elephant Hill wildfire came into effect at noon on Sunday.

It’ll remain in place until noon on October 31st, 2017, or until the order is rescinded.

Photo Credit: BC Wildfire ServiceThe new restricted area for the Elephant Hill wildfire.

The restriction has been put into place to protect public safety and to ensure the safety of firefighting personnel who continue with fire suppression activities.

Under this order, a person can’t enter the Elephant Hill wildfire restricted area without the prior written authorization of an official.

The only exceptions are:

• Travelling to or from his or her principal residence that is not under an evacuation order.
• Travelling to or from leased property for the purpose of accessing a secondary residence or recreational property.
• Using a highway as defined in the Transportation Act.
• Travelling as a person acting in an official capacity.
• Travelling for the purpose of supporting wildfire suppression activities.
• Engaging in a commercial activity within the regular course of the person's business or employment.
• Participating in a commercial activity that a person described in (f) provides. The restriction does not include private land or the garbage dump and transfer station.
   

The order applies to all Crown land within the geographic boundaries as outlined on the map above, which you can also find online by clicking this link. 

Evacuation orders and alerts issued by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District remain in place, which you can find out more about at here.