Out of control fire costs Ontario man $3,800

A fire proved costly for one southern Ontario man.

Mathew Major, of Stoney Creek, will have to pay about $3,800 in fines after starting a fire that spread into the surrounding woods. The man will have to pay $150 for starting a fire without a permit, another $150 for not extinguishing the fire before leaving it unattended and $3,500 toward the cost of putting the fire out.

A provincial court heard that on 10:30 a.m. on May 17, Major started a fire to burn boxes of paper in a grassy area on Parmeter Road in Kenora.

The fire was several metres away from a wooded area.
After starting the fire, the court heard how the man left the area and went into town.

The fire then spread into the nearby wooded area, burning about 0.5 hectares of land.

Firefighters from the City of Kenora, and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources responded to the fire and put it out.

Firefighters were already working to extinguish the blaze when Major returned to the area.