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CTV News
a day ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Individual fined $1,200 for violating Ottawa burn ban after brush fire gets out of control
Overhead view of the remains of a brush fire near Kettles Road in rural southwest Ottawa. Aug. 14, 2025. (Ottawa Fire Services) An individual is facing $1,200 in fines after a brush fire got out of control in rural southwest Ottawa. Ottawa Fire Chief Paul Hutt says the fine is for violating the city's open-air fire ban, which remains in effect. Thursday's fire led to more than an acre of land being burned. 'In conjunction with Bylaw and Regulatory Services, fines in the amount of $1,200 were issued to an individual for burning brush without a permit and during a fire ban. Further fees are pending from the Ottawa Fire Service for equipment and resources dispatched to combat the blaze,' Hutt said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa. Ottawa Fire Services public information officer Nick DeFazio said on Friday that firefighters were called to a section of Kettles Road on reports of brush fires burning out of control at around 4:02 p.m. Flames were covering approximately one acre of land when firefighters arrived. The rural area has no hydrants, so a water shuttling system was established to allow firefighters to work on extinguishing the blaze. While dealing with the first fire, crews discovered a second fire, covering about half an acre. Both fires were under control by 5:12 p.m., DeFazio said. Firefighters contained a large brush fire in Ottawa's rural area yesterday. At approximately 16:02 yesterday, the Ottawa Fire Services Communications Division received a 9-1-1 call reporting multiple brush fires burning out of control in a field in the 3000 block of Kettles… — Ottawa Fire Services (@OttFire) August 15, 2025 Ottawa Paramedic Service spokesperson Marc-Antoine Deschamps told CTV News Ottawa a resident was treated at the scene for minor burns but did not go to the hospital. 'Ottawa Fire Services would like to remind residents that a burn ban remains in effect across the City of Ottawa. All open-air burning is prohibited until further notice,' DeFazio said. Ottawa has only seen 9.2 mm of rain in August, officially, with all of it falling on Wednesday. With files from CTV News Ottawa's Camille Wilson
CTV News
4 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
‘We can't get complacent:' Eastern Ontario fire crews urge caution amid hot, dry weather
Fire officials says the hot and dry conditions are creating an extreme wildfire risk in regions across eastern Ontario. CTV's Austin Lee reports. As fire crews continues to battle flames tearing through parts of Ontario's cottage country, officials in and around Ottawa are urging residents to be extra cautious. 'Everybody needs to take these extreme heat conditions very seriously. We can't get complacent. We need to be very careful,' said Ottawa Fire Chief Paul Hutt. 'We can't have accidental fires, so I need everybody to be very diligent in making sure they're looking after their surroundings, making sure they're not causing any source of ignition that could potentially spark a grass fire or a bush fire.' Ottawa, much of eastern Ontario and parts of western Quebec are currently seeing 'extreme fire danger,' according to Natural Resources Canada. Canada Fire Map A map showing the fire danger across Canada. Much of eastern Ontario and western Quebec are seeing "extreme fire danger." (Natural Resources Canada) Burn bans are in place across the region, but fire officials say the risk extends beyond simply starting a campfire. 'We also want [people] to take extreme caution with some of the exercises that they're doing outside with any sources of heat or ignition,' said Justin Hemsley, Deputy Fire Chief with the Mississippi Mills Fire Department. 'Cigarette butts can be a huge risk factor, small engines, hot engines, lawnmowers, those kinds of things can easily spark a fire when things are this dry.' Mississippi Mills Fire A firetruck inside a Mississippi Mills fire station on Aug. 12, 2025. Officials are urging residents to stay extra cautious during wildfire season. (Austin Lee/CTV News Ottawa) In Ottawa, a fire ban has been in place since last week. Hutt says most people are following the rules, but not everyone. 'We have had 26 complaints for burn complaints since the fire ban. I consider that quite large. We shouldn't have any,' he said. 'We are taking a zero approach so if there are issues and people are still burning while we're in this fire ban, we will be taking the matters very, very seriously and applying the bylaw accordingly.' If things take a turn for the worse and Ottawa fire crews are called out to battle a wildfire, Hutt says his team is ready. Since amalgamation, Ottawa Fire Services is responsible for a large area, roughly 80 per cent of which is rural land. The fire service currently has five specialized brush trucks, designed specifically for fighting wildfires, in its fleet. 'We can't get complacent ourselves so, in the rural areas, we're constantly checking water levels, we're making sure our water fill sites are available,' said Hutt. 'In the event that there is a fire, if we have to come up with alternative plans or if we have to shuttle water in, we pre-plan these scenarios based on weather conditions and I feel we are very equipped to handle situations if they arise.' As for when the burn ban could be lifted, that may take some time. Temperatures will have to cool off and the region will need to see significant rain, enough to saturate the soil, for wildfire risks to subside. 'If it's just surface rain or if it's just a small shower, it's not going to be enough because the surface is just going to dry up again and we're just going to be left with all of this dryness again,' said Hutt. 'People are going to have to be very patient, and even though we have a little bit of rain in the forecast, the fire ban still may remain on.' In the meantime, homeowners can take a few steps to prevent fire damage around their property. Hutt recommends clearing any vegetation and debris piled up near any structures, cleaning gutters of leaves, pine needles and other flammable material, and if you keep firewood, ensure it is stored at least ten to 30 metres away from your home.
