You can finally toast your first marshmallow or hot dog of the summer.
Effective at 4:00 p.m, today (Tuesday July 11), the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has lifted the province-wide Restricted Fire Zone.
West Parry Sound Fire Coordinator Gord Harrison says he is still talking with the area’s fire chiefs, but the region is more than likely to see its fire danger rating going down to HIGH.
He says that means campfires are permitted, for the next little while, but large burns not meant for recreation still require permits.
“I think that will make a huge difference to a lot of people who are trying to enjoy summer and camping. But as always, people should be really careful. Even though the Restricted Fire Zone is not in place, it doesn’t take long for things to dry out. We’ve got a little bit of rain today, not a lot, so things could dry out again tomorrow. So people should just continue to be really cautious when they do have fires,” he says.
Harrison says if we get another extended period of weather with dry and windy conditions, an RFZ could come back.
“We’re all really grateful that everybody behaved themselves and adhered to the restrictions, that made a huge difference for the fire department over here so we’re really grateful for that,” Harrison says.
The MNRF says we still can’t let our guard down. We need to remain vigilant and safe with open flames, ensuring we ‘re not responsible for human-caused forest fires.
