Latest news with #fireban
CTV News
3 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Sask. provincial fire ban rescinded, some local bans remain in effect
Highway 106 is closed as wildfires burn near Smeaton, Sask. on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards With Saskatchewan's provincial fire ban no longer in effect the province says it is important to be aware that provincial parks, rural municipalities and other communities may have their own bans still active. In a wildfire update via a news release Tuesday afternoon, the province encouraged residents to check for ongoing fire bans here. As of Tuesday afternoon, there are 14 active wildfires in the province, five are considered not contained, according to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA). 'Five communities remain under an evacuation order: Creighton, Denare Beach, East Trout Lake, Whelan Bay and priority individuals in Cumberland House,' the release said. The SPSA is also reminding residents to be diligent when it comes to preventing wildfires and says anyone who spots a wildfire should call 911, their closest SPSA Forest Protection Area office, or 1-800-667-9660. Information for evacuees The province says evacuees who have still not registered are encouraged to do so through the Sask Evac Web Application or by calling 1-855-559-5502 between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. for assistance. 'Evacuees supported by the Canadian Red Cross can call 1-800-863-6582 between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. A full list of evacuated and repatriated communities can be found on the Information for Evacuees webpage,' the release said. The SPSA has confirmed that 350 values have been lost in wildfires to date, with the number expected to exceed 500 following more investigations that includes assessing Denare Beach later this week.
CBC
7 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
Thunder Bay, Ministry of Natural Resources lift fire bans in city and across northwestern Ontario
A two-weeks-long fire ban that was in place for Thunder Bay has been lifted by Thunder Bay Fire Rescue, while the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) has lifted all fire bans on Crown land and unincorporated rural townships across northwestern Ontario. The fire bans were lifted at 10 a.m. on Friday for Thunder Bay, at 12:01 a.m. for northwestern Ontario restricted fire zones (RFZ) 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. Thunder Bay Fire Rescue says its decision aligns with the MNRF declaration of lifting the Restricted Fire Zone for the Thunder Bay District, issued in response to a lowered wildfire risk. The fire ban had been in effect since May 30 on all outdoor open-air burning within the City of Thunder Bay. With the ban lifted, Thunder Bay Fire Rescue says all open-air and recreational burning permits are now valid. Don't let your guard down, MNRF tells residents The MNRF says it considered a number of factors in arriving at its decision. These include daily weather and fire conditions, as well as forecast weather trends over longer periods of time and potential drying conditions and precipitation. The ministry also considered the number of wildland fires that are burning, and the number of resources required to manage both current and potential wildland fires. "Lifting the RFZ does not mean we can let our guard down when it comes to preventing human-caused fires. We all need to remain vigilant and keep safety top of mind when having outdoor fires," the MNRF said in a Friday update. The ministry is reminding people that the overall fire danger can change rapidly based on the daily weather resulting in low to moderate fire hazard one day, followed by high to extreme the next simply based on the surface forest fuels drying out quickly, leading to fires starting easily and higher rates of fire spread under the right burning conditions. The ministry says it will continue to assess wildland fire hazard conditions and an RFZ designation may be reinstated in higher risk areas if the fire hazard and fire activity warrants. New wildland fire in northwest region Meanwhile, one new wildland fire — Red Lake 19 (RED019) — was confirmed in the northwest region Thursday evening, the MNRF says. RED019 is located approximately 25 kilometres east of the Ontario-Manitoba border, and 10 kilometres northwest of Angekum Lake. The five-hectare fire is not under control, the ministry said. At the time of the ministry's latest update there were 21 active wildland fires in the northwest region. Of those fires, seven were not under control, one was being held, five were under control and eight were being observed. The ministry says the wildland fire hazard is mainly moderate across the northwest region with pockets of high hazard scattered throughout all sectors. The hazard across the far north is low.
BBC News
7 days ago
- Climate
- BBC News
Ban on Peak District barbecues and campfires imposed in High Peak
Barbecues and campfires have been banned in part of the Peak District in a bid to stop wildfires breaking crews in the High Peak, Derbyshire, have been called to a number of fires in the national park so far this year, including a major incident in Goyt Valley which shut roads and took days to bring under Peak Borough Council on Friday approved an order for public areas of the Peak District within its borders, giving powers to police and council officers "to reduce the risk of wildfires".It has banned lighting fires, barbecues, fireworks and sky lanterns, and carrying items which officers think will be used to do so. Anyone breaking the new order faces a fine of up to £100. Councillor for community safety Godfrey Claff said "careless and thoughtless behaviour" in the Peak District carries a huge added: "We're worried about the barbecues, we're worried about people who throw away a lighted cigarette or throw away a lighted match, anything which constitutes the danger of a wildfire occurring."We take it very seriously and this may sound overdramatic, but when you see what can happen from the examples in Australia, in Canada, in Los Angeles more recently, those fires occurred because of carelessness in the first instance."But once they get a hold, then they can cause death. They can cause extensive damage to property."And the climate is changing so radically that people believe that that sort of thing is not out of reach in this country."
CTV News
11-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Sask. encouraging residents to come forward with information regarding intentionally set wildfires
An orange-coloured haze, resulting from a nearby wildfire, is seen on a helipad in La Ronge, Sask., in an undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, *MANDATORY CREDIT* Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) president Marlo Pritchard says investigators have determined that 80 wildfires in the province this year were started by humans, with approximately 30 of those set intentionally. Pritchard says the SPSA and police are asking for the public's assistance to help identify individuals that have intentionally set wildfires. 'Of those [intentionally set fires] we have had four in the Prince Albert area in the past number of days and so again we would ask members of the public to call your local police service or Crime Stoppers,' he said. RCMP have already laid two arson charges, including against those believed responsible for starting the Ditch02 fire in the Weyakwin area that forced multiple evacuations. Pritchard says the SPSA can confirm 290 structures have been lost to the fires, with the possibility of that number climbing to 400 once more investigations are done. The SPSA also revised its provincial fire ban on Tuesday at 5 p.m. According to Pritchard, the provincial ban now only applies to the Northern Provincial Forest up to the Churchill River. Minimal to no fire growth Favourable weather conditions including rainfall has allowed firefighters to more directly attack flames over the past few days. That is also allowing some evacuees to return home. 'We are turning a corner, we are seeing that the fire activity has been relatively stable over the past few days. There has not been any significant growth and we've also seen and been informed that there is numerous communities either preparing for or have repatriated back to their communities,' Pritchard said. According to Pritchard, Birch Portage evacuees returned home June 9 and Little Bear Lake, Moosehorn and Timber Bay evacuees are returning home on Wednesday. Meanwhile, residents of Hall Lake, Brabant Lake, Nemeiben Lake, Sucker River, Wadin Bay, English Bay, Sikachu, Clam Crossing, Lac la Ronge Indian Band, La Ronge, Air Ronge, Napatak, Eagle Point, Lamp Lake, Rabbit Creek, Potato Lake and priority one and two individuals in Stanley Mission are all expected to return home in the next day or so, according to Pritchard. 'As the repatriation efforts continue, we will work with community leaders to support those that are being supported by SPSA to safely return to their communities in the coming days,' he said. Pritchard says as of Wednesday, there is still approximately 10,000 or more people still evacuated. The SPSA says there are 23 active wildfires in Saskatchewan on Wednesday. Six are listed as not contained and two with fire crews protecting values and property. The Shoe fire remains the largest in the province at approximately 550,000 hectares, according to the SPSA. The fire is one of the six still considered not contained but the SPSA says it has not significantly grown over the past few days. Crews remain focused on finding hot spots within the fire's perimeter and continuing to be stationed on the fire's west end to protect nearby communities. The Pisew fire near La Ronge has also not significantly grown since the area received about 22 millimetres of rain over the weekend. That is allowing about 7,000 evacuees to return home in the coming days. According to the SPSA the Pisew fire is at 181,000 hectares on Wednesday. More information can be found here.
CTV News
10-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Fire ban still in effect for Lethbridge river valley; officials urge compliance
Lethbridge's fire department is reminding residents that the river valley fire ban is still in effect. Hot and dry conditions are increasing the fire risk. Lethbridge's fire department is reminding residents that the river valley fire ban is still in effect. Hot and dry conditions are increasing the fire risk. While the river valley might look green, there's plenty of dead grass underneath that can catch quickly. Even a small spark from a campfire or cigarette could easily start a blaze. High winds will make it very easy for any fire to spread. With conditions only expected to get worse, the fire department doesn't want to take any chances. 'Right now, in the river valley, with the abundance of, I guess, dead grasses, leaf litter, deadfall, there is still extreme fire risk,' said Neil O'Grady, fire prevention officer. 'When we do get any precipitation, generally it stays on the surface for a short amount of time. But with our prevailing winds and warm weather, it usually dries out pretty quickly and we get right back to an extreme fire risk.' You can keep up to date on local and provincial fire bans at
