May 15, 2020

Update on Restricted Fire Zone (RFZ),

Burning Permits and Local Burning
Provincial Restricted Fire Zone (RFZ):
The Government of Ontario has announced that the Restricted Fire Zone (RFZ) that
had been in effect across the entire province will be lifted as of Saturday, May 16,
2020 at 12:01 a.m. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is an excellent
source of information regarding RFZs and safe burning practices, please visit their
web pages:
• Outdoor Fire Restrictions: https://www.ontario.ca/page/outdoor-fire-restrictions
• Forest Fire Information Map:
https://www.lioapplications.lrc.gov.on.ca/ForestFireInformationMap/index.html?viewer=FFIM.FFIM
&locale=en-US&LayerTheme=RestrictedFireZones

What does this mean for residents of Sioux Lookout?

The Municipality is currently assessing such factors as the local forest fire hazard,
the availability of resources to respond to human-caused outdoor fires, and the ability
to provide burning permits in determining next steps for local burning regulations.
The Municipality will release additional information next week.

In the meantime, beginning May 16, 2020, individuals, despite not having a
burning permit, may have a fire during the following timeframes:
• May commence burning two (2) hours AFTER sunrise, and must extinguish the
fire two (2) hours BEFORE sunset.

The following regulations also apply:

• All fires must be supervised at all times, must be completely extinguished when
finished, and the individual responsible for igniting the fire must have some type
of suppression available such as rake, hose with water, or shovel.

• If emergency personnel must attend to extinguish a fire, the person who ignited
the fire will be responsible for all costs associated with the suppression of the
fire. This can be extremely expensive, so if you choose to burn, please do so
with extreme caution.