Greater Sudbury Fire Services responded to a bush fire behind a Maple Street home in Val Caron on Sunday, following reports of smoke from a resident in the area.
Crews were on-scene less than ten minutes after the call was received Sunday at 4:07 p.m. and had the fire under control by 4:40 p.m. that afternoon. There was no damage to buildings in the surrounding area and no one was harmed.
Captain Jim Bergeron of the Val Therese station said the fire was around one hectare in size, or 10,000 square metres by the time crews arrived and growing steadily. It was found less than 300 feet from the nearest residence and moving in this direction supported by roughly 30 km/h winds.
It is too soon to say how this fire could have been started but seeing as it is near a trail, Bergeron said there is a chance human error was involved.
Something as simple as a spark from an All-Terrain Vehicle's exhaust pipe or the ember from a cigarette could have caused it he went on to say, unbeknownst to the individual responsible.
"It happens (but) this is exactly why we are asking people to stay home. Because there is a fire we have no choice but to get all fire personnel out there to extinguish this fire and we can't (practice) social distancing."
A total of six apparatuses responded to the call from the Val Therese, Hanmer, and Val Caron stations, which Bergeron said would equal around 45-47 personnel had every individual been needed on-scene. Representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) were also called but their services were not needed.
How quickly the team was able to get the fire under control was somewhat surprising to MNRF said Bergeron, especially given conditions of the soil but this he credits to his team's coordinated and timely attack. The area will remain at high-risk of bush fires until it sees considerable rainfall.
Bergeron was unsure of how many reports Greater Sudbury Fire Services have been called to since the fire ban was put in place but he said there have been a considerable amount of burning complaints.
The fire ban not only protects residents and first responders from the possibility of a fire but it enforces social distancing, said Bergeron. eWith this in mind, residents are encouraged to abide by social distancing protocols in place as well as the provincial-wide fire ban.
"People like to gather around a fire and when you have a little too much substance, things happen. Accidents happen."
Find more information on outdoor fire restrictions here.
