MANITOULIN—Two Manitoulin Island volunteer fire chiefs are urging people to get burn permits before setting any type of fire and to use common sense and not burn anything when it is windy after several fires took place on the Island last week.
“We need to get the message out to people to get a burn permit for any kind of fire, and to use some common sense; don’t start a fire when it is windy,” stated Rick Graham, fire chief of the Burpee and Mills Township volunteer fire department.
“It will get to the point that we will all have to be under another fire ban, and it will end up being Island wide,” stated Mr. Graham. “The ground and grass is tinder dry. Sometimes people will think it won’t happen to me, that they can control a fire, and it won’t get out of control, but it happens.”
Phil Gosse, Central Manitoulin fire chief said, “first off if someone sees a fire taking place, call. I can’t stress this enough. And members of the public need to get a burn permit between April 1-October 31. The Ministry of Natural Resources regulations state that there is to be no burning between 6 am and 6 pm. And, if it is too windy don’t set any kind of fire, even if you have a permit. As well, people need to make sure that when they set a fire, they remain on the scene of it, and make sure you put it out properly before you leave the scene.”
Fire Chief Graham explained that a fire call came out to the Burpee and Mills volunteer fire department at around 4 pm on Wednesday, April 16. “Someone was burning brush, and it caught the grass on fire, which led to large hay bales being on fire, and it spread into the bush. When the fire was under control it was only 18 inches from the home on Bailey Line Road. He pointed out the fire department “had to call Gye Taylor to come out with a backhoe to rip up the bales of hay so firefighters could properly douse the flames.”
The owner of the home was at work at the time, but tenants were on hand and had set the fire, said Fire Chief Graham. He pointed through Manitoulin Mutual Aid the Central Manitoulin fire department was called to assist, and they had three trucks and seven firefighters on hand, who helped douse the fire and provide water relay.
“Fortunately, the fire damage was minimal, but it could have been a whole lot worse,” said Fire Chief Graham.
“If a fire department has to call the MNR in with water bombers to put out a fire, the costs add up quickly,” said Fire Chief Graham. He also noted anyone setting any type of fire without a burn permit could be fined. “People need to use a bit of common sense. If it is windy don’t light a fire.”
“Kudos to the Central Manitoulin fire department for responding to our mutual aid call. They were a huge help,” said Fire Chief Graham.
Fire Chief Gosse outlined that the Central Manitoulin fire department responded to not only the mutual aid call in Burpee and Mills but five others within a 24- hour period. “In one day (Wednesday) we responded to a total of four fire calls, three at pretty much the same time,” he said, stressing that even when responding to a mutual aid call in another area, they make sure that enough firefighters and fire trucks remain in the municipality to fight fires, at all times. We took three trucks, one pumper and two tankers along with seven firefighters to the fire in Burpee and Mills.”
The second call was made to the Central Manitoulin Fire Department at 5:30 pm, of a grass fire on Monument Road. “When some of our fire trucks and firefighters went to Burpee and Mills the rest of the fire crew was on standby. They were on the scene of the grass fire within 15 minutes and were able to get this fire under control quickly.”
The third call came after the call of the grass fire, of a chimney fire in Providence Bay. By this time, “we were returning from Burpee-Mills and one of our fire captains responded with firefighters and a pumper to Providence Bay and were able to get this under control quickly as well,” said Mr. Gosse.
Then, at 11:55 on Wednesday evening, Central Manitoulin firefighters responded to what turned out to be a false alarm, a carbon monoxide detector going off at a residence on Monument Road.
On Thursday, “We (Central Manitoulin fire department) responded to a mutual aid assistance call from Billings Fire Department involving a grass fire at around noon hour,” continued Fire Chief Gosse. “We were on our way to that fire when we got stood down, as Billings Fire Department reported they had it under control. Then at about 1 pm, we received a call for mutual aid assistance from the M’Chigeeng First Nation fire department, reported as a structural fire, “but we were told to stand down by the M’Chigeeng Fire Chief, as they had everything under control after someone had left food on their stove.”
