Salt fights street fires

Starting a backyard bonfire without an open burning permit could cost you hundreds of dollars in new firefighting costs in the new year.

Sault Ste. residents can currently be fined for burning outdoors without a permit, but the city has passed a new law that, for the first time, requires you to pay the cost of every fire truck that goes to your property.

The updated charter strengthens many aspects of the Sault Ste. Marie’s control of outdoor burning, including:

• definition of open burning
• a list of exceptions that are not considered open burning that are not covered by the bylaw
• a clear set of terms and safety regulations for all outdoor burning
• action to recover any costs and expenses related to responding to, controlling, or extinguishing an outdoor fire caused by a violation of the statute

A permit holder may burn outdoors only between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m

It is allowed to burn no more than 0.5 cubic meters of combustible materials at a distance of five meters from all buildings, structures, decks, plots of land, trees, hedges, fences, roads, overhead wires and other combustible objects.

Burning is not allowed if it could cause a threat to people’s health.

The provision does not apply to:

• a person who uses a barbecue for cooking
• a person who uses fire in a device installed outside a building that is used as a source of heat or electricity for the building or is auxiliary to a manufacturing process, provided that such device is certified for that purpose by a recognized agency
• a person using a gas or propane fireplace, table, or bowl
• a person using an approved outdoor sauna or wood-fired hot tub
• a person using an all-around approved outdoor wood-fired pizza oven
• a person using a device that complies with the requirements of the Technical Standards and Safety Act 2000
• a person who uses a device designed to heat pitch or asphalt, a person who uses welding equipment
• city ​​or town officers for the purpose of teaching and training individuals
• a person who puts out or maintains a ceremonial or sacred fire

All outdoor fires must be contained in a non-combustible fire container (i.e., fire bowl, fire table, fireplace, mantel, barrel, or wood-burning stove) or a pit in or on the ground surrounded by a non-combustible metal barrier, masonry, ceramic or stone

The following other conditions apply:

• the permit holder must use only clean, dry firewood, charcoal or briquettes and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, must not burn grass, leaves or other noxious materials
• the permit holder must ensure that the outdoor fire is continuously supervised and controlled by a competent adult from start to extinguishment
• the permit holder must not conduct outdoor burning on days when rain, fog, smog, high winds or any other weather conditions prevent proper smoke dispersion
• the permit holder must have a sufficient supply of water to contain or extinguish an outdoor fire
• the permit holder must be courteous to neighbors at all times and must not cause or permit fires
• the permit holder must completely extinguish the outdoor fryer before the space is vacated