Effective at noon on Thursday, April 16, no person shall ignite or maintain a burn pile on Savary Island.
According to a media release, pursuant to Savary Island Outdoor Fires Bylaw No. 549, 2019, the fire chief of the Savary Island Volunteer Fire Department will be implementing a prohibition on igniting or maintaining all burn piles.
The release stated a burn pile includes all outdoor fires regardless of size, other than campfires. This definition 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. This prohibition applies to all areas of Savary Island until further notice, the release stated.
Those individuals in violation of the prohibition may be subject to a fine of up to $2,000.
The release stated that campfires maintained at a size less 0.5 metres high and 0.5 metres in diameter are permitted at this time. Campfires must be monitored by a responsible adult at all times. Every person who ignites or maintains a campfire must ensure the campfire is under control at all times, is more than 15 metres from any building and more than three metres from any combustible material. The campfire must be immediately adjacent to a sufficient supply of water or other substance that could extinguish the campfire, and located in an area where all flammable material has been removed down to mineral soil for at least one metre in all directions from the outer perimeter of the campfire.
The release stated that the burn pile restriction is consistent 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.
