The Muskoka fire chiefs have set the fire danger rating in the region to extreme.
There is now a total ban on all fires in the District of Muskoka until further notice.
No fires of any type are permitted, including ones for cooking or warmth. There are also no fireworks allowed in the region.
The forest fire danger rating in Muskoka is monitored from April 1 until Oct. 31.
The rating is determined using the Fire Weather Index, which takes into account relative humidity, temperature, previous 24-hour rain amount, wind directions, wind speed and forest fuel type and loads. Those factors help to determine the forest’s risk to certain types of fires.
The fire danger rating is then made by the fire chiefs of Muskoka’s six municipalities and the Ministry of Natural Resources.