A total fire ban remains in place for the region. And the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) has recently upgraded the Forest Fire Danger Rating in our area from Low to High.
In Bancroft, the fire ban means open-air burning is not allowed. That includes the use of campfires, burn barrels and wood or charcoal burning barbecues and outdoor stoves.
The Bancroft Fire Department released a statement to stress that the Fire Ban, now in its second month, has been ordered by the Ministry. It has declared much of Ontario (including North Hastings) as a Restricted Fire Zone.
The Department also shared a communication it received from the Ministry, stating that there’s still a fire risk, even when there’s rain.
“Despite the scattered rain Ontario has received the last couple of days, it is often accompanied by lightning which can strike a tree and ignite a fire under the forest floor,” MNRF says. “Once the weather dries up, winds pick up and temperatures rebound, those holdover lightning fires can appear up to about a week later.”
The messages also shared that the fire ban is needed to “eliminate preventable human-caused fires” when land is highly susceptible to fires.