Dry winter, early spring leads to wildfire warning in South Frontenac

A dry end to winter and an early start to spring is bringing early warnings about the risk of open-air fires in the township of South Frontenac.

South Frontenac fire Chief Del Blakney says residents should avoid unnecessary burning this spring.

“Many people think spring is a safe time to burn brush and yard waste, but it’s actually one of the worst times of the year to burn due to the dry, dead vegetation on the ground that can spark grass fires,” Blakney said in a statement sent to media Thursday.

“The conditions we are seeing are already concerning—the ground is very dry and there have been brush fires already in some municipalities.”

South Frontenac residents are being encouraged to take yard waste and brush to the Portland landfill free of charge instead of burning it.

Last year marked the worst wildfire season ever recorded in Canada, with roughly 18.5 million hectares of Canadian land burned.

After holding meetings with provincial, territorial and federal emergency response ministers in February, federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan warned that this year’s wildfires could be even worse than last year.

Fire season runs from April 1 to Oct. 31 in South Frontenac and is when fire bans are most likely to be put into place.

“There is no fire ban currently in effect, but I urge all residents to be smart, play it safe, avoid unnecessary burning, and be aware of conditions and when fire bans are in place so we can all have a safe summer,” Blakney said.

While a permit is not required for open-air burning in South Frontenac, fires must be supervised at all times under the township’s open-air burning bylaw.