Length of fire ban hard to determine, Ontario government says

The province is continuing a burn ban for northern Ontario and much of the rest of the province and some municipalities are also taking steps to stop fireworks displays.

On April 3, the province implemented an open air fire ban. The ban means you can't have campfires, burn grass or use burn barrels. People are still able to use propane and charcoal barbeques.

Shayne McCool, a fire information officer with the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, says the province is taking action to reduce the numberof fires caused by humans.

"About 50 per cent of fires that occur throughout Ontario are human-caused fires," he said.

"By reducing that number of fires, we're helping keep our response system strong for the days and months ahead."

To date, McCool says there have been 22 forest fires reported in Ontario this year. Currently, there are no active fires in the province.

He says crews have been and will continue to be ready.

"Our staff are ready to respond, we are continuing to respond to those forest fires as they occur, but in fact reducing the amount of human caused fires will help us manage that workload as we move forward as well," he said.

As for when the ban could be lifted, McCool says that's difficult to determine but will be done in guidance with public health advice.

"We're continuing to follow those directions and then we'll continue to assess on a daily basis to see when these restrictions can be lifted," he said.

Check the local rules

McCool says it's important to check with your local municipalities because they have the authority to put added rules in place.

Greater Sudbury city council approved amendments to the fireworks bylaw at a meeting on May 5.

"Under the amended bylaw, residents are no longer able to set off fireworks on a permitted day if a municipal fire ban or provincial restricted fire zone is in effect," the city stated in a release.

"The amendment also removes Victoria Day and Canada Day as permitted days for 2020."

According to the City of Greater Sudbury, fire services have responded to 109 calls this year identified as open or burning or outdoor fire complaints. A total of 87 of those calls came in April. So far in May, three calls have been made to the city.

"The high number of calls in April can be attributed to the COVID-19 fire ban and demonstrates the concern residents have in respect to violations of the order," the city stated in an e-mail to CBC Sudbury.

In 2019, the city responded to a total number of 254 calls for open air burning or outdoor fire complaints.