Duane Hicks
FORT FRANCES—Although no fires currently are burning in the West Fire Region, and the number of fires so far has been few, the Ministry of Natural Resources is reminding people to be wary when they’re outdoors this spring.
“We have had a quiet spring in weather terms, but having said that, the unique aspect of forest fire management in early spring is that we may not have hot, dry weather . . . but we do have a combination of human activity, outdoor fires, and the fact we haven’t had ‘green up’ yet,” MNR fire information officer Deb McLean said.
“What that means is that many areas, particularly open fields, have what we call 100 percent cured grass or vegetation. It’s dead or it’s dormant, and there’s not a lot of moisture,” she noted.
“Any source of ignition has the potential to spread in that fuel.
“It can spread quickly, and it can be a relatively small fire but still a very damaging fire,” she warned.
McLean noted the potential for damage is high because grass-burning often takes place outside of organized areas, but still close to populated areas and property like buildings and vehicles.
Local MNR fire management supervisor Harrold Boven said because of all the brown grass, the period of time from now until the May long weekend are critical weeks in the Fort Frances District.
“Along the corridor to Atikokan or in the agricultural area, grass fuels are extremely flammable and extremely dangerous because it can go so fast,” he explained.
“That’s what the spring concern becomes.”
McLean reminded the public that the Forest Fire Prevention Act is in effect, which means burning during the day is prohibited—a person cannot light a fire more than two hours before sunset and it must be extinguished within two hours after sunrise.
Anyone not living in an organized area who wants to do any burning at all should contact their local MNR office and check the regulations.
Anyone living in a municipality must check with their respective fire department or municipal office to see what their rules are.
In Fort Frances, any town resident who wants to do burning as a hazard reduction had better contact the fire department first.
The fire department will take a look at what the resident wants to burn, and where, and then assess whether a permit will be issued, said Fort Frances Fire Chief Gerry Armstrong.
He noted the fire department has been moving away from burning more and more each year due to the danger of it spreading and environmental concerns like smoke.
Those who do get permits are bound by strict precautions and rules.
“Once you take that permit and sign the dotted line, you’ve taken responsibility for it,” Chief Armstrong remarked.
“That’s an important point for people to understand. If they lose control of [their fire], they’re responsible for the cost of what may happen as a result.
“That’s not meant as a threat. You need to be careful,” he stressed.
The town also follows the Forest Fire Prevention Act guidelines, including the aforementioned regulation on day burning.
There have been a total of 11 fires in the West Fire Region since the fire season officially began April 1, covering an area of 6.4 hectares in total.
Fires have been reported in the Dryden, Kenora, Nipigon, and Thunder Bay districts, but not here in Fort Frances District.
While the spring fire situation has not been too hectic, McLean noted the MNR fire management division has been busy hiring staff and training them, as well as readying aircraft and equipment and opening forward attack bases, like Vedette Lake locally, in anticipation of summer activity.
“There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work going on with the fire program, getting all of the resources in place,” she explained. “By now, pretty well everybody’s on board and the training continues.”
(Fort Frances Daily Bulletin)
