A dry spring and high winds have led to burn bans in several municipalities, including the Municipality of North Norfolk, where fire officials say extra caution is needed to keep the community safe.
“It's been a fairly dry spring here. High winds, extreme temperatures,” said MacGregor fire chief Chris Leckie. “We haven't had any significant moisture in the area or for almost the entire province as of yet. So that's why we exercise some caution there and just decide to put on the ban to ensure everybody's safety.”
Recent grass fires raise concern
Leckie said fire crews have already responded to several grass fires in the region, although none have become severe.
“In our area, we've been fairly lucky that we haven't had too many out-of-control wildfires or grass fires,” he said. “But we have responded to a few grass fires which were extinguished here just in the last week or so.”
Ban details and safety reminders
Under the current restrictions, no open-air fires are allowed within the municipality, and no burn permits will be issued.
The only exception is for outdoor fires in approved fire pits.
“Please use extra care and caution,” remarked Leckie. “Make sure you have some type of water available and make sure it's extinguished after you're done with your fire.”
No end date set
The municipality will monitor the situation daily, but the ban will remain in place until conditions improve.
“We're going to need some significant moisture hopefully here in the next week or so,” said Leckie. “We're watching the forecast, hopefully that it does come and we can lift [the ban]. But at this point, it will stay for the foreseeable time unless we get the moisture.”