North Bay residents have generally been really good about respecting the fire ban says North Bay's fire chief, but cautions that recent rain is not enough to see the ban lifted.
Chief Jason Whiteley told BayToday that there were a couple of odd cases at the beginning with people claiming they didn't know there was a fire ban.
"You're not going to see the ban lifted for at least another week," said Whiteley.
He used as an example the thunderstorm which hit the city yesterday. and had a bunch of lightning with it. If it hits the ground it may get into the duff layer, which is a deep, dense layer of partially decomposed organic matter which builds up on the forest floor.
"The fire stays hidden and when things dry up a week later the fire pops up, so the MNR wants some time after lightning strikes to ensure no fires pop up," explains Whiteley.
Also just because we get a bit of rain, time is needed to see how the forest reacts.
"The last time we had a bit of rain, within four days we were back up to high hazard levels again because the rain was absorbed and dried right out. So you need a consistent forecast where we're getting rain every couple of days."
The Province also has to be aware of how many fires it's already fighting and be cautious going forward.
"We know that the Province is short on fire crews so they don't want to lift a ban and increase the risk of having more fires and not having the resources to fight them."
Whiteley points out that consumer fireworks are included in the ban. The City has been given initial approval to hold a display this weekend but it depends on the weather. A professional fireworks crew will oversee the show and the fireworks will be shot off over Lake Nipissing.
See: Fire ban won't stop local Canada Day fireworks
There are currently 27 active wildland fires in the Northeast Region. Of these, 10 are not under control, 5 are being held, 11 fires are under control and 1 is being observed.
There have been no new fires confirmed today in the region.
The fire hazard is high to extreme across most of the Northeast Region again today
