THUNDER BAY — Some area residents are claiming unawareness of the law, while others are knowingly flouting the current ban on open-air fires in Northern Ontario.
In both cases, it's causing frustration for Blair Arthur, the fire chief in the Municipality of Shuniah.
"People are just not really interested in following the restrictions. Others have travelled from a far distance and weren't quite aware that there was a restriction."
Shuniah Fire and Emergency Services, and Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry conservation officers, have investigated four open-air burns in the municipality since the province imposed a restricted fire zone on June 1.
Charges are pending in some instances.
In Shuniah, the fine for burning in a restricted fire zone is $500, and the fine for burning without a permit is $200.
The Forest Fires Prevention Act also provides for fines up to $25,000 plus the cost of putting a fire out.
The latest incident occurred Monday evening on Green Bay Road, where firefighters arrived to find a small, supervised campfire and extinguished it.
Further investigation revealed there was no burning permit for the fire, and that the seasonal home had no working smoke or carbon monoxide alarms.
Arthur said the limited capacity of the volunteer fire service is stretched whenever a call comes in about smoke caused by someone using their fire pit.
"People call 911 right away. The fire department has to respond with a lot of resources, not knowing necessarily if it's a controlled fire or something else. So it's a heightened sense of alertness for the public. When they see smoke they call 911, and we sometimes have to overreact to an incident to ensure the safety of the public."
Arthur added "We don't have full-time resources to have available night and day to be running around chasing calls. We're available for real emergencies."
Fires may be reported by calling 310-FIRE (3473).
