The Restricted Fire Zone in place for the entire Fire Region of Ontario is now lifted, effected July 11.
The fire ban for Fort Frances is also lifted, but fires must be limited to a small, contained fires for cooking or personal use. Burning brush or grass still requires a permit, and permits are not being issued at this point. Residents and visitors are reminded that caution and supervision must be used even for the small, contained fires allowed without a permit.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry would like to thank Ontarians and visitors for doing their part to help prevent forest fires and keep communities safe. They ask that residents please continue to use extreme caution and follow Ontario’s Outdoor Fires Regulations when having an outdoor fire.
Restricted Fire Zone decisions consider a number of factors including daily weather and fire conditions, as well as forecasted weather trends over longer periods of time and potential drying conditions and precipitation. The MNRF considers the number of wildland fires that are burning, and the number of resources required to manage both current and potential wildland fires.
Lifting the RFZ does not mean we can let our guard down when it comes to preventing human-caused fires. We all need to remain vigilant and keep safety top of mind when having outdoor fires, said the MNRF in a release.
Despite some rain or showers in parts of Ontario, some areas remain dry. It is important to remember that the overall fire danger can change rapidly based on the daily weather resulting in low to moderate fire danger one day, followed by high to extreme hazard the next simply based on the surface forest fuels drying out quickly, leading to fires starting easily and higher rates of fire spread under the right burning conditions.
The province will continue to assess forest fire hazard conditions and an RFZ designation may be reinstated in higher risk areas if the fire hazard and fire activity warrants.
An MNRF Restricted Fire Zone and a municipal fire ban can be in place at the same time, or separately. It is important that the public check with their local municipality as they may have local fire bans or fire restrictions in place.
Stay alert and be informed of the fire hazard near you on the public forest fire information map at Ontario.ca/forestfire. You can also follow us on Twitter: @ONforestfires for up-to-date information on the fire situation.