Midwestern

Wildfire Danger For Midwestern Ontario Rated As High To Extreme

Almost all of Midwestern Ontario is rated as a high risk for fire danger with the long weekend approaching.

The extremely dry weather conditions over the past month are at fault.

Parts of Perth County including Stratford are at a higher risk for forest fires.

The Natural Resources Canada Canadian Wildland Fire Information System has set the risk there as extreme.

Oxford County, Waterloo Region, and Middlesex County are also at an extreme risk.

A number of municipalities have instituted open fire bans, with only small contained recreational campfires allowed.

That includes all of the Bruce Peninsula and Howick Township.

The Fire Danger index looks at how easy it is to ignite vegetation, how difficult a fire may be to control, and how much damage a fire may do.

A high risk means a fire could be vigorous and challenging to contain, often requiring bulldozers, tanker trucks and aircraft.

The extreme rating would mean a fast spreading high intensity crown fire that would be very difficult control.

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