You can finally toast your first marshmallow or hot dog of the summer.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) lifted Ontario’s Restricted Fire Zone at 4:00 p.m. Tuesday, and Haliburton County’s fire ban will follow suit at midnight.
Mike French, Algonquin Highlands’ Fire Chief, says the fire danger rating will be set at low to reflect local conditions.
“The current fire ban was not in place because of the conditions here, it was in place because of the smoke conditions and staffing being depleted,” says French. “There was no fire protection, or very limited, from the MNRF. For example, our one station here has seven MNRF employees. They were up north, so we had no coverage down here.”
According to French, the low rating means you can have a fire of up to two metres wide between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., but he reminds to have adequate tools on hand to put it out.
Evan Lizotte, MNRF Forest Fire Information Officer, adds we still can’t let our guard down. He says everyone needs to remain vigilant and safe with open flames, so no more human-caused forest fires are started.
**With additional files from Bob McIntyre