Strong winds are forecasted to sweep across the Kamloops Fire Centre for Thursday and Friday.

Photo: Contributed

Strong winds are expected to sweep across the Kamloops Fire Centre Thursday and Friday.

The BC Wildfire Service is urging members of the public and industry personnel to exercise extreme caution when conducting any outdoor burning and consider postponing it if possible.

The Kamloops Fire Centre will see moderate gusty winds as the result of a surface trough across the region.

Winds are expected to be 20 to 30 km/h with gusts up to 50 to 60 km/h. They are expected to remain moderate to strong through the night and should become light to moderate by Friday morning.

The BC Wildfire Service is urging members of the public to not conduct any open burning until the windy conditions pass. Wind can cause grass fires to spread quickly.

Anyone conducting an outdoor burn must adhere to the following precautions:

• Ensure that adequate resources are on hand to control the fire and stop it from spreading
• Never burn in windy conditions. Weather conditions can change quickly, and the wind may carry embers to other combustible material and start new fires;
• Create an appropriately sized fireguard around the planned fire site by clearing away twigs, grass, leaves and other combustible material, right down to the mineral soil
• Never leave a fire unattended
• Make sure that any fire is completely extinguished, and the ashes are cold to the touch before leaving the area for any length of time

Anyone wishing to light a Category 3 open fire must obtain a burn registration number ahead of time by calling 1-888-797-1717. A burn registration number is not required to light a Category 2 open fire.