Greater Sudbury firefighters have seen a “significant increase” in the number of wildland burning complaints and unauthorized burning incidents in May, resulting in a municipal fire ban, said deputy fire chief Jesse Oshell.
The ban applies to all open-air fires, including campfires, chiminea fireplaces, crop residue fires, fireworks, and any other type of outdoor burning. All open-air fire permits are cancelled for the duration of the ban. Gas-fired and charcoal barbecues and outdoor propane fireplaces are still permitted.
It’s only May 11, and firefighters have already responded to 33 incidents, said Oshell. That is three times higher than the average for all of May over the past four years.
“At this point in the season, our average would be less than 10 fires for the entire month of May, and right now we are more than 30,” Oshell said.
On Wednesday morning, firefighters fought a lightning-strike fire in the Hanmer area, said Oshell.
Firefighters responded to five incidents on Tuesday, another four on Sunday and seven more on Saturday, Oshell said.
“There is a large number of fires occurring daily, and many of them are significant,” he said. “We have not had any significant rainfall recently. These fires are a combination of the weather, the ground conditions, and careless burning.
“Careless outdoor fires are our No. 1 cause of bush fires in the month of May,” said Oshell. “That's concerning to us, because what we're seeing is individuals who are not in compliance with the City of Greater’s outdoor burning bylaw.”
Residents who are found in contravention of the outdoor burning bylaw face fines that can cost hundreds of dollars, said Oshell.
If a fire is started due to carelessness, that person could be charged the cost of fighting the resulting bush fire. Depending on the size of the fire, and the resources required, they potentially can be charged the full cost recovery of that response.
“The cost can be very significant,” said Oshell. “Certainly, we're not looking to bill anyone for our services in that way. However, a wildland fire, just as a cost, we are probably looking at $1,500 to $2,000 per hour to fight that fire.”
Depending on the size of that fire and its proximity to a water source, it can take days to douse the flames, Oshell said.
Firefighters responded to a “significant” bush fire on Tuesday off of Highway 17 in the city’s West End. It wasn’t started by a careless individual, said Oshell, but it still took firefighters four hours to put it out.
If you do the math, four hours at $2,000 an hour would cost a careless person $8,000.
Now that the fire ban is in effect in Greater Sudbury, municipal bylaw officers and senior fire officers and fire prevention officers will be laying charges to those people in contravention of the bylaw, said Oshell.
The fire chief is responsible for initiating the fire ban, Oshell said. The Ministry of Natural Resources sets forest fire danger ratings. Currently, Greater Sudbury’s rating is high, and there are three new fires burning in the area as of May 11 at noon.
What would it take for the fire ban to be lifted?
“I'm monitoring daily weather conditions, and I talk several times a day with our partners at the Ministry of Natural Resources,” Oshell said. “When we see weather conditions that produce a good amount of rain, and that top layer of stuff becomes quite saturated, and greens up, and when we are not seeing a significant number of wildland fires daily in our community, we would then consider rescinding the ban.”
However, Oshell said the long-range forecast gives no indication that there's going to be any significant rainfall.
“We're monitoring it day by day, but I don't see the ban being lifted anytime soon,” he said.
