Chief Fire Officer, Josiah Dupuis is asking the general public to be diligent in containing bush fires.
For the month of May, 97 bush fires were recorded.
The Fire Chief says residents need to remain cautious since bush fires can quickly get out of hand.
“I remember one day we responded to 17 bush fires so that gives you an idea of the challenge which we have had. On many days, all of our assets were out and there were instances when we had to request help from St. Joseph and Grandbay to make ends meet. It has been a very onerous task for us during this past month of May and the tally continues. We continue to respond to bush fires even in the month of June.”
The Fire Chief asserted, “We want to use this opportunity to remind the general public of the dangers associated with bush fires. They can easily get out of control and once they have enough combustible material and [favourable] wind direction, can cause a tremendous amount of damage. Therefore, we continue to solicit the general public to ensure that they maintain a buffer zone around their homes.”
He elaborated that the buffer zone should be a minimum of 15 feet.
To burners he cautioned, “This is not the best time of year to burn but if you really must burn ensure that you break up your waste into small piles. Burn in small groups and when you are burning ensure that you have water, a garden hose or a mechanism should get out of control. There is wind direction to take into consideration when you are burning.
He added, “There are several members of our communities who are happy to just set fires and we are saying that this is a dangerous practice. You can cause a lot of damage to property.”
Chief Dupuis identified utility poles and beekeepers along the west coast as being severely affected.