The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) is implementing a Restricted Fire Zone (RFZ) effective at midnight Wednesday.
The MNRF says it covers the ministry’s northeast and northwest regions and part of the southern region. That includes our area of the province, along with the district of Hearst, Cochrane, Kapuskasing, Chapleau, Wawa, Timmins/Kirkland Lake, Sault Ste Marie, Blind River, Sudbury, Minden, Parry Sound, Bracebridge, Pembroke, a northern portion of the Peterborough/Bancroft District, and the southeastern portion of the Far North District.
Officials say under a RFZ “no open air burning, including campfires, is permitted within the boundaries of a Restricted Fire Zone. Portable gas or propane stoves may be used for cooking and warmth BUT must be handled with extreme caution. All burning permits are suspended. The Restricted Fire Zone is in place until further notice.”
Fire information officer Amy Peltonen says “when experiencing kind of extended periods of hot, dry weather,” she explains, “an RFZ can be implemented to help reduce those chances.”
Officials say the RFZ will be in effect until further notice.
That’s from the provincial government. Peltonen says an RFZ is different from a fire ban, issued by the municipality.
Click here for more information. (https://www.ontario.ca/page/forest-fires)
****With files from Bob McIntyre