Caution Urged Over Open-Air Fire Bans in Several Pontiac Municipalities
Caution Urged Over Open-Air Fire Bans in Several Pontiac Municipalities
Residents across the Pontiac are being reminded to exercise caution and respect open-air fire bans currently in effect in most municipalities.
In Fort-Coulonge, firefighters have had to respond on several occasions due to citizens ignoring the rules. In a Facebook post, the Fort-Coulonge Fire Department reported receiving multiple calls. “This morning, the fire department received a call about an open-air fire near the bike path in the Station sector. Although we have had some rainfall that reduced the risk of spread, open-air fires remain strictly prohibited within Fort-Coulonge. According to residents, the same individuals have been spotted several times in the area. We ask everyone to follow the regulations to ensure safety,” the department stated.
The ban is also in effect in Mansfield-et-Pontefract. Municipal officials there stressed that the measure is being enforced as a precaution—even though no provincial ban has been issued by SOPFEU—because local conditions are considered highly hazardous due to a lack of rainfall, prolonged dry weather, and sustained winds. These factors significantly increase the risk to residents and infrastructure.
Campfires, brush burning, and fireworks are all prohibited. Anyone who disregards the ban is subject to fines and intervention by fire services. The vast majority of municipalities in the Pontiac MRC currently have this prohibition in place.
