The Department of Natural Resources is urging people to be extremely careful when lighting fires on their property.
They’re warning this is the riskiest time of year for forest fires because higher temperatures and dead plant life make it easy for a small fire to become a big problem.
Fire Prevention Officer Kara McCurdy says almost all forest fires in Nova Scotia are caused by people being careless.
She says just because the ground feels damp doesn’t mean it won’t catch.
“What’s happening is the stuff that’s on top, the really fine fuels, can catch on really quick,” she says, “and once they catch fire it catches the trees on fire.”
She says grass fires in particular are very risky.
“It gives off the perception that it’s actually greener but it’s not. It’s just a black on green kind of look,” she says. “So, if people could not burn grass and mow it, it would be much better.”
McCurdy says there is absolutely no burning allowed between 8 – 2 daily because that’s when risks of fire spreading is at it’s highest.
“We have the weather systems coming in. They bring with them higher winds, lower humidity and higher temperatures. This increases the chances of wild fire spread. So, the chance of things happening is more significant in that time frame.”
However, she adds if it’s windy you shouldn’t light a fire no matter what time it is.
