Wellington North has lifted the fire ban within the township – but the rest of the county remains under a ban.
Wellington North Fire Chief Dave Guilbault said recent rainfall allowed him to lift the ban on July 20.
“I’ve lifted the burn ban because we feel we’ve had sufficient rain in Wellington North,” he said.
The announcement coincided with a press release the same day from the Wellington County Fire Chiefs Association that stated each municipality would decide when to lift the county-wide fire ban instituted on July 5.
Municipalities can “lift portions of the ban or lift the ban in its entirety” due to “recent changes in weather patterns and the various degrees of rainfall in different portions of [the county],” the press release stated.
Guilbault said during the 15 days the county-wide fire ban was in place, Wellington North received “in excess of 100 inquiries and complaints.”
“It has been an issue, we’ve had a lot of complaints and there’s a lot of confusion,” said Guilbault.
He explained Wellington North Fire Services responds to both Southgate and West Grey townships, which do not have a burn ban in place.
The confusion may have been compounded by a Mapleton Township decision on July 15 to allow small campfires in that municipality.
“This decision was not made lightly,” Guilbault said of lifting the ban in Wellington North. “We’ve reviewed it, we’ve looked at the rain that we’ve had, we’ve listened to the taxpayers, we’ve listened to the community.”
Guilbault added a county-wide ban can be difficult due to different weather patterns in a large geographic area.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and ask that everyone be extra careful,” he said.
The other six Wellington municipalities remain under the burn ban, with the exception of campfires in Mapleton.
