Due to the prolonged hot and dry weather, St. Catharines (along with most other areas of Niagara) have issued an open air burning ban*
The City of St. Catharines has issued a ban on all open-air burning until further notice due to prolonged hot and dry weather.
Fire Chief Dave Wood called for the ban because recent hot and dry weather has increased the risk of a fire burning out of control by quickly spreading to nearby grass and plants.
What's prohbited under the ban
- Cooking fires
- Fireworks (including sparklers)
- Outdoor burning
- Barbecues are allowed under the open air burning ban, but the fire chief advises residents to be careful when cooking.
For more information contact Fire Prevention at 905.688.5601 ext. 4224.
Fireworks
- Residents CANNOT set off fireworks (including sparklers) in the city.
- Residents can still purchase fireworks from licensed businesses that have a City Consumer Fireworks Sales Permit
- Fireworks purchased in St. Catharines can only be set off in cities without an open air burning ban in place.
Duration of open air burning ban
The ban will remain in place until the risk of fire spreading has been reduced to a manageable level by a sustained rainfall and cooler temperatures.While there was some rainfall earlier this week, it did not reduce the risk for fire because weather conditions are expected to remain hot and dry for the rest of this week and next week.
* EDITOR'S NOTE: check your city/town website for updates on open air burning in your city or town. As far as we know, most cities and towns in Niagara Region have the same ban in place.
