It may be early spring, but grass fires are already sparking up across the region.
Fire departments in Simcoe County and Muskoka have responded to more than 20 grass fires in the last four days. Firefighters in Adjala-Tosorontio and Georgian Bay were just some of the crews busy extinguishing grass fires on Sunday.
The ground is still saturated, but the dry debris on top is fuel for fire.
"A lot of these fires are human caused, whether it be an error with someone having a bonfire in their backyard that spreads out of the fire pit or careless disposal of cigarettes,” says Springwater deputy fire chief Craig Williams. "On top of the forest floor here there's a lot of this fine fuel that's dried right out, whether it be twig with no moisture in them, pine needles, grass."
Sunshine, low humidity, moderate winds and warmth increase the potential for these early spring fires. Most happen in the afternoon and spread quickly.
"Over the course of the day the sun is obviously hotter in the afternoon and is warmer throughout the day,” says Barrie firefighter Eric Poole. “It dries out those surface fuels. The most potential for a fire is between 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. In the fire service we call that the ‘witching hour.’"
Firefighters expect it will only get worse.
“Every day we have a look at our fire danger rating and certainly this week, if we don`t get rain there’s a great potential that we may look at increasing it,” says Williams.
Officials say they recommend residents not burn during spring conditions, but if they do they should have a burn permit.
