Staff
No new fires were reported in the Northwest Region all week while the fire hazard is mostly “low,” with just some areas of “moderate” hazard in the far north.
And there are no active fires in the region.
But that doesn’t mean those spending time outdoors, such as hunters, should let their guard down when it comes to fire safety over the Thanksgiving weekend, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry fire information officer Deb MacLean warned.
“One thing that’s relevant about the season–and it’s similar to when we come into the spring–is we are looking at a change in the vegetation,” she told the Times.
“Some of it’s dying off, some is drying out,” said MacLean, noting the hazard may be “low” now but only a couple of warm days could see it rise suddenly.
Just as in the spring, the MNRF cautions people in the fall that any outdoor fire that they set, particularly before Oct. 31, still has to follow certain conditions.
So if they’re going to be burning brush or grass, that has to be confined to evening hours–no daytime burning, MacLean noted.
“If they’re out having a nice shore lunch or having a campfire, especially if they’re out hunting and they just stop to have a pot of coffee or something and they broil it on a campfire, they have to remember they’re required to put that out before they leave the site,” she stressed.
MacLean also cautioned that if any new fires are reported, and FireRangers are called out to respond, they could be driving the bush roads and working on the landscape in the same vicinity as where people may be hunting.
“We just want them to be very aware that there may be other activities going on besides hunting,” she remarked.
The MNRF’s fire season does not end until Oct. 31, which means there are guidelines people have to follow under the Forest Fires Prevention Act.
The public can visit ontario.ca/fireprevention for a number of fire safety rules and tips.
In related news, Ontario continues to support British Columbia’s forest fire equipment.
Currently there are 10,000 lengths of hose, 203 pump kits, and two structural protection units there.
