Open Burning Ban comes to an end for the Northwest Fire Centre

You probably don't need an official notice at this point, such has been the rather damp few weeks along the Highway 16 corridor, but the Northwest Fire Centre made it official yesterday, with the declaration of the end of the open burning ban for across the region.

The Open Fire ban was lifted at Noon on Tuesday owing to cooler temperatures and increased precipitation that has reduced the risk of wildfire danger in the region.

With the ban now lifted, some around the Northwest may be looking to clear brush in their property area to help mitigate any wildfire risks, making use of an open burn to eliminate the collected brush. With that in mind, the Northwest Fire Centre has issued a number of prevention tips to conduct a safe open burn.

Ensure that enough people, water and tools are on hand to control the fire and prevent its escape. 

Do not burn during windy conditions. Weather conditions can change quickly and the wind may carry embers to other combustible material and start new fires. 

Create a fireguard of at least one metre around the planned fire site by clearing away twigs, grass, leaves and other combustible material. 

Never leave a fire unattended. 

Make sure that the fire is completely extinguished and the ashes are cold to the touch before leaving the area for any length of time.

More information related to an Open Burn can be found here.

Key to the notes the need to check with your local fire department, municipality and/or regional district to see if any local burning restrictions are in place in your area.

You can review more of the background to the Notice here.