The Municipality of Lambton Shores has issued open-air burn restrictions and fire officials warn that a full fire ban may come into effect due to the extremely dry conditions.
The municipality issued a notice Monday evening, stating it has temporarily paused the issuance of open-air burn permits, and those previously issued have now been suspended.
However, small social campfires are still allowed.
Those attending area campgrounds or trailer parks are also being reminded to check with park staff to ensure there are no additional restrictions or fire bans in place.
Lambton Shores Fire and Emergency Services issued a list of safety reminders; small campfires:
- Must never be left unattended
- Must be less than 0.5 metres in diameter and 0.5 metres in height and used in conjunction with a social gathering
- Are only permitted between the hours of 7 p.m. and 12:30 a.m.
- Must always have a bucket of water or an effective extinguishing agent nearby
- Must be fully extinguished before leaving them unattended
"These open-air burn restrictions will remain in place until further notice and staff will continue to closely monitor conditions throughout the week," said Acting Fire Chief David McLean. "Should we continue to see high temperatures with no rainfall, a full fire ban may be implemented."
Fire officials said it's not just unattended campfires or large open-air burns that pose a threat.
"Whether it’s an unattended campfire or someone tossing a lit cigarette into the grass, it doesn’t take much for a fire to start and spread rapidly in these conditions," said McLean in a statement.
Last week, Sarnia Fire and Rescue had a similar message in order to avoid accidental brush fires.
Other nearby municipalities have issued their own bans as the dry spell continues. London-Middlesex and Elgin County issued fire bans and restrictions this week.
A burn ban has not been issued in Chatham-Kent but fire officials have noticed an increase in brush fires over the last few days and have urged residents to be cautious at this time.