THUNDER BAY – A region-wide outdoor burning restriction for much of Northwestern Ontario could carry into the upcoming long weekend.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry declared a fire zone restriction for most of the region, effective Tuesday afternoon, as the fire hazard continues to grow across Northwestern Ontario.
The restrictions prohibit outdoor burning and open fires, said ministry fire information officer Chris Marchand.
“This is coming as a result of escalating potential for human caused forest fires. We’re entering one of the busiest recreational periods of the spring at a time of high and extreme forest fire hazards, especially in the western part of the region,” Marchand said.
“The lack of precipitation over the last few weeks combined with steady winds and warm temperatures have really had a drying effect on the forest fuels and grasses. That combined with the kind of human activity that May long weekend provides presents a good reason for a restricted fire zone.”
Portable gas or propane stoves are still permitted and campfires are allowed at commercial campgrounds where certain conditions have been met.
Thunder Bay Fire Rescue promptly followed the ministry’s lead, issuing a fire ban within the city. That means all burning permits are suspended and people are urged to be careful with smoking materials, to not light fires and avoid activities that could cause sparks.
Fire chief John Hay said it has been an unusually busy grass fire season in the city.
“Things are very dry, very tinder-like,” Hay said. “We’re just trying to reduce the number of sources of ignition that could be possible for the fires. We’ve had some pretty good grass fires that have encroached on some properties.”
Hay said most grass fires are human caused, though some have started as a result of industrial activities or sparks from rail cars.
“Discarded smoking materials is a major cause of grass fires here,” Hay said. “It’s a concern that people are not cognizant of what they’re doing when they’re flicking the butt but we’re trying to educate people that it’s very dry right now and the grass is very volatile.”
Most of the fires thus far have been suppressed before causing substantial damage to property or threatening human life.
“We’ve had some favourable winds at times during the bigger fires but a lot of it is a lot of hard work by our firefighters and diligent tactics that have worked well to prevent that movement. Sometimes a little bit more grass gets burnt so we can stop it in the right spot,” Hay said.
Other regional municipalities that have declared fire restrictions include Shuniah, Kenora, Dryden and Red Lake.
Marchand said the start of the fire season across the region has been busier than last year but is still below the 10-year average.
There were eight active fires as of Tuesday afternoon. There were also three that started Tuesday, with ones in the Kenora and Thunder Bay areas being held and one in Sioux Lookout was declared out. The most notable active fire is Fort Frances 5, which has grown to 20 hectares near Silvertip Lake.
Other regional municipalities that have declared fire restrictions include Shuniah, Kenora, Dryden and Red Lake.
