Sault Ste. Marie Fire Services charge 21 with failing to heed open-air fire ban

Sault Ste. Marie Fire Services say they have laid 21 charges againstresidents who continue to have open-air fires in the community.

The Sault's open-air burn ban was put in place onMarch 23, while the province implemented open-air burning restrictions at the beginning ofApril.

Sault Ste. Marie Fire Services public education officer, Aaron Gravelle, says the ban will continuefor the foreseeable future.

"At this point, the weather will not change the ban being lifted," Gravellesaid in a release.

"This is not about if it is too dry or if we have had heavy amounts of rain. This is about not tying-up our resources [during the pandemic] with non-emergency calls."

Fire Chief Peter Johnson said they continue to pursue prosecutions regarding anyone caught burning under the ban.

"[The fire service]can ill afford to have our crews responding to these types of non-emergency complaints," he said, noting that fines for breaching the Ontario Fire Code can beup to $50,000 and/or imprisonment.

Once a Restricted Fire Zone is declared, it is illegal to set a fire for any purpose within the affected area.

Over in North Bay, no tickets have been issued. City spokespersonGreg Saunders said they haveseen very few instances of people not complying with the provincial fire ban.

"Any calls that we have received for open-air burning have been effectively managed through a successful interaction by firefighting personnel with the offender," he said.

"We have used the opportunity to promote fire safety and compliance. The people we have dealt with have been very understanding and apologetic, and we have had zero instances where we have had to deal with the same offender."

In Timmins, its fire department has received six calls regarding unauthorized burning this year, butno charges have been laid.

"All parties indicated they weren't aware of the restricted fire zone and complied with the officers by extinguishing the fires immediately," city spokesperson Heather Duhn said.

Meanwhile, Greater Sudbury reports that its Fire Services haveresponded to 86 open air burning incidents since the restrictions were implemented. In that time, three charges have been laid.

"We continue to educate people on the guidelines so residents understand the potential impact of their actions," said spokesperson Shannon Dowling.

"We will continue to educate residents and will lay charges for those who repeatedly disregard the restrictions, putting themselves and others at risk."