[Minnie]

FYI, if you were heading out to do any crown land camping in eastern BC this weekend.

In the interest of public safety, effective at 1 pm Mountain Time on Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017, all Crown land within the Rocky Mountain Natural Resource District is closed to public access due to the extreme fire danger rating, the number of unprecedented aggressive wildfires throughout the region and moderate winds forecasted over the next few days.

This includes the area around Cranbrook, Kimberley, Moyie, the Elk Valley and Columbia Valley.

The area restriction order means that a person must not remain in or enter the restricted area without the prior written authorization of an official designated for the purposes of the Wildfire Act, unless the person enters the area in the course of:

* travelling to or from his or her residence, that is not under an evacuation order;
* 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.

A map of the affected area is available online.

Smoky conditions may persist in the coming weeks. For information on air quality, as well as smoke forecasts for Western Canada, visit the BC Air Quality website.