Windsor-Essex facing extreme fire risk amid heat wave and dry spell
Windsor-Essex is under an extreme fire danger rating as hot, dry conditions persist across the region, prompting warnings from meteorologists, fire officials, and public health authorities.
A map from Natural Resources Canada (NCR) shows the fire danger in much of southern and southwestern Ontario, including Windsor, has increased as hot and dry conditions continue in the region. The map shows a portion of Windsor-Essex in red, which is 'extreme' and the highest risk of fire according to NRC.
'This summer's definitely been hot and the last 1 to 2 weeks, it's definitely been dry in the Windsor-Essex area,' said Steven Flisfeder, meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.
'Temperature wise, hasn't been a record breaking by any means, but it has been very consistently hot.'
According to Flisfeder, the area has not recorded any precipitation so far in August.
'No precip in August so far. Not a single day is recorded, not even a trace of precipitation at the Windsor airport. The last day that we did receive some rainfall was July 31, but nothing since then,' he said.
The current forecast calls for temperatures in the low 30s through Wednesday, with a slight drop on Thursday before returning to the high 20s and low 30s for the weekend.
'Continuing that same pattern we've been seeing since about, say, the first couple weeks of July and on through into the middle of August,' Flisfeder said.
John Smith, acting chief fire prevention officer with Windsor Fire and Rescue, said the prolonged dryness is creating dangerous conditions.
'You have the extraordinary dry spell right now that we're coming up against and it's going to be drying out the grass and all the vegetation around,' he said.
'I'm looking around the park here today, and even the trees are starting to drop a little bit from the excessive heat. So once they dry up, you get more chances of compressibility of that vegetation.'
Smith noted that Windsor's open burn bylaw prohibits backyard fires without a permit.
'You have to have a permit anyways to do any kind of open air burning. So right now, you cannot do any kind of backyard burning even if you wish and it's a nice night out. We have to have a permit for that.'
He added that fireworks are also regulated.
'Fireworks are only allowed to be set off on specific dates during the year and that's the day of Victoria Day and the day after,' he said.
'You've got Canada Day, the day before Canada Day and up to July 4 and New Year's Eve are the only days that consumer fireworks can be let off. And unless you have a display permit then they can be set off, it's different times of the day.'
Smith also said residents have been calling with concerns about open flames during the dry conditions.
'It was a complaint that came in actually overnight about next door neighbour using a tiki torch. And even that's a probability, if that were to tip over and get the backyard going again, if it's a very dry backyard, you're going to have a fence possibly involved, a house, a structure, a shed that's going to continue and spread to other areas. So that's where we have to be careful with anything that's an open flame right now,' he said.
The chief fire official must approve any permit for a backyard fire, Smith said, and many Windsor properties don't qualify.
'Chief fire official has to approve that permit and it's based on vegetation around the fire pit, distances to combustibles, to fences, to buildings. And right now, most Windsor properties will not meet that criteria,' he said.
Dr. Mehdi Aloosh, medical officer of health for the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, urged residents to take precautions during the heat.
'Make sure that we have access to a cooler space, to spend some time, be hydrated, be in the shade,' Aloosh said.
'So the message is still the same and there are resources in our community that people don't have access to A/C that they can have access to cooling centers, community centers, libraries, those are areas that people can spend time until these hot days go away.'
He said signs of heat-related illness include 'dizziness, fatigue. You feel that you're thirsty, and then confusion is started. Muscle cramps.'
Aloosh noted that heat and wildfire smoke together can increase health risks.
'The effect of wildfire and heat, it's more risky for population. Some studies shows that it increases mortality as a result of cardiovascular issues, respiratory issues. But at the moment, our quality score, air quality index is four. Its moderate risk,' he said.
Meantime, the LaSalle Fire Service has declared an open-air fire ban effective immediately, citing dry conditions.
All forms of open-air fires are prohibited in the Town of LaSalle until further notice. This includes campfires, chimineas, outdoor fireplaces, fire pits, brush fires and agricultural fires, etc.
Officials said fines will be issued for any violations of the ban.
'Community safety is our main concern, and we are continually monitoring conditions,' said Fire Chief/Director of Fire Service, Ed Thiessen.
'We appreciate everyone's cooperation.'
- With files from Dustin Coffman/AM800 News.
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