“Extremely dry conditions” have triggered Ottawa fire officials to reinstate a full open-air fire ban for the whole city.
The ban, announced Friday morning and effective immediately, applies to all burning outdoors – including campfires, agricultural burns and brush pile burns.
The reinstated burn ban, which also applies to properties with permits, comes on the heels of an extreme, weeklong heatwave in the National Capital Region.
In a tweet, Ottawa Fire Services said: “Extremely dry conditions make burning very dangerous.”
“There will be zero tolerance enforcement during the fire ban,” fire officials said in a notice Friday morning.
Prior to Friday, a conditional fire ban had been in effect since June 29.
The conditional ban prohibited agricultural and brush pile burns and the use of fire barrels, but permitted fireworks and recreational campfires (with proof of a valid permit).
Temperatures in the Ottawa area are expected to cool Friday.