Starting at noon Thursday, burn piles will be a no-no on Savary Island.
Savary Island Volunteer Fire Department’s fire chief is implementing a prohibition on igniting or maintaining all burn piles.
That includes all outdoor fires regardless of size, other than campfires.
This includes burn barrels and “other containers where the products of combustion are not vented through a structure that has a flue and is incorporated in a building.”
It’ll be enforced across Savary Island until further notice.
If you’re caught lighting and maintaining a burn pile, you could face a fine of up to $2,000.
Campfires of less than 0.5 metres high and 0.5 metres in diameter are still allowed but they must be watched by an adult at all times.
Campfires have to be under control at all times, and be more than 15 meters from any building and/or combustible material.
The campfire also must be next to a sufficient supply of water or other substance that could extinguish it, and it has to be in an area where all flammable material has been removed down to mineral soil for at least one metre in all directions from its perimeter.
The burn pile restriction is in step with the current province-wide open burning ban and is being put in place to reduce the chances of human-caused wildfire, and to limit smoke impacts on air quality and public health during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To report a wildfire, unattended campfire or open burning violation, call 911.
For the most up-to-date information during the COVID-19 state of emergency, visit the Regional Emergency Operations Centre webpage.
