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Brantford residents warned about open-air burning

Bonfires, burning of garden waste or rubbish and recreational fires are not allowed in Brantford.

"We do get a number of calls in the summer about open-air burning," said Dwayne Armstrong, the city's chief fire prevention officer. "The provincial regulation says open air burning is not permitted unless approved, or unless such burning consists of a small, confined fire supervised at all times and used to cook food on a grill or a barbecue.

"So, it's for cooking only and once the food is cooked the fire has to go out."

The fire department has made the decision not to approve fire permit applications largely because of the size of the lots in the city, he added.

Part of the confusion for some residents stems from the sale of various types of outdoor fireplaces, chimineas, portable fire pits and fire rings.

Outdoor fireplaces are sold at home improvement stores and large retailers. But usually, there is a sign near where the items are being sold advising consumers to check their local regulations to see if they can be used within their municipality.

People either forget to check or don't bother checking local regulations.

Open-air burning regulations are different in the County of Brant. Although recreational burning is allowed, there are regulations. The fire must be contained in a pit no more than one-square-metre in area; it has to be at least 15 metres from any building, structure, hedge, fence, roadway and or property line.

Recreational fires that meet those regulations are allowed without paying a fee or calling county fire officials. Approval from County of Brant Fire Chief Paul Boissoneault is required for recreational fires that don't meet those regulations.

Open-air burning became an issue in April when a brush fire in the Oakhill Drive area got out of control and scorched three to four acres of a nearby field. It was an unseasonably hot, dry day that included an exceptionally strong wind. Brant County volunteer firefighters were called and spent a couple of hours putting it out and monitoring it.

Following the incident, county fire officials urged residents to pay attention and plan according to weather forecasts and conditions.

For more information about the county's policies check out www.brant.ca.

vincent.ball@sunmedia.ca

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