Some rural Thunder Bay municipalities contemplated bans on outdoor burning on Friday, as ground conditions continued to dry out and local fire departments remained strapped for volunteers.
“There’s still a bit of moisture in the bush, but it’s drying up,” said Conmee fire Chief Robb Day.
“There’s no ban on right now, but we’ll be watching the situation closely,” Day added. “Things can change quickly.”
Gillies Township implemented a ban on outdoor burning as of early Friday afternoon, while the Municipality of Neebing said a temporary ban would take effect on Monday.
Neebing’s “48-hour” burn ban is to be in effect while the municipality replaces a culvert on Sturgeon Bay Road “to reduce the risk of fire incidents while emergency services are positioned to support the road closure,” a municipal bulletin said on Friday.
On Thursday afternoon, Conmee’s fire department responded to a fire that lit up in the bush on a piece of private property along Torrie Road.
Day said his crew had the blaze “knocked down” in about an hour, but the department was at the scene for about two more hours while firefighters put out hot-spots. Provincial firefighters assisted with the effort, Day said.