Lance Bouchard, just wants to cook his food outside on his covered fire pit, but that is not allowed in London with the ban on open fires, due to the extremely dry conditions.
(MIKE HENSEN, The London Free Press)
Londoner Lance Bouchard was going about his typical Sunday routine, setting up his backyard fire pit to cook dinner, when a fire truck showed up.
He was ordered to immediately put out his fire, the wood burning in a pit built into the backyard of his house near Adelaide St. and Commissioners Rd.
He wasn’t alone.
Firefighters surprised other Londoners by also showing up at their doorsteps over the weekend, with orders — triggered by a provincial extreme fire hazard warning for Southwestern Ontario — to snuff out open backyard fires.
The ban on open-air fires was slapped in place Saturday, a bow to the tinder-dry conditions left by July’s scorching heat.
Nine complaints about fires burning came in within 24 hours of the ban, the London fire department said.
“I don’t remember the last time the city had an open-air burn ban, but it’s a prudent move because the conditions are simply too dry,” said Jeff Adams, an acting platoon chief with the fire department.
City hall defines an open-air burn as “a fire set outside of a building,” which includes outdoor recreational fires, such as campfires, involving combustibles.
Bouchard said he’s aware of the dry conditions, having been laid off from his grass-cutting job with a landscape company because lawns have fried in the heat.
“I’ve been told I can’t use my fire pit until the ban’s been lifted. But I’ve been cooking in the pit since I moved in 5 and a half years ago, and this is the first time I’ve been told to take it out,” said Bouchard,.
He said he doesn’t understand why the ban covers his “enclosed fire pit” on his own property.
Fire Platoon Chief Paul Carew stressed there will be “no ifs, ands or buts with this ban.”
Lack of significant rainfall, together with the heat, has heightened the risk of fires across Southwestern Ontario, setting the stage for wildfires, according to Carew.
Ontario’s Natural Resources Ministry warned Friday that the entire region, from Windsor to Cambridge, is the only area in the province under an extreme warning for fires, prompting London’s open-air burning ban.
“I do sympathize with (Bouchard), but the rule applies to everyone from the mayor right down to me. All it takes is the action of one person sparking a serious fire and you might lose the open-air burning altogether,” said Adams.
He said the ban will be lifted once rain returns and temperatures fall.
Most London backyards aren’t suitable for outdoor fires, since a bylaw stipulates there must be a four-metre clearance around the burning container, he said.
Bouchard said he can’t afford to turn on his oven and use the power to cook.
“Now, I have no choice but to use my electricity and warm up my house.”
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via The London Free Press.
