(QMI FILE PHOTO)
London’s fire department has issued a ban on open burning in the city, with extremely dry weather conditions setting the stage for wildfires.
The lack of significant rainfall has heightened the risk of fires across southwestern Ontario, according to London Fire Department platoon chief Paul Carew.
“The last little while has been extremely dry, which is conducive to wildfires,” he said.
“People don’t realize sparks can go a long way, with dry conditions, it only takes one spark to start a fire.”
The City of London defines an open air burn as “a fire set outside of a building,” which includes outdoor recreational fires involving combustibles, such as open campsite fires.
The fire department received several open burn complaints across the city throughout Saturday night.
“Fortunately we are getting to them before they become dangerous. They’re basically a nuisance at this point,” said Carew.
Open air burns are banned under city by-law.
This ban, starting Saturday, will continue until further notice from the Ministry of Natural Resources.
“People think they can ignore the ban, but they should take it very seriously…. There will be no ifs, ands or buts with this ban,” Carew warned.
via The London Free Press.
