The number of forest fires are up this year.
So far, there have been 41 fires in this province burning 35 hectares.This same time last year, there were only 3 fires that burned 10 hectares.
Supervisor of Fire and Insect Management, Jeff Motty, says people need to be aware that fires can start quickly. He says most of the snow has melted and most of the fires are along the southwest coast. Motty says we’ve also had less rain. He says a weather station in Gander has reported only 10 mm of rain in the last month. Motty says people also need to be careful when riding ATV’s. He says clean your machine after use since dry mud and debris can ignite when heated.
Motty says homeowners can also do small things to make their property less combustible. He says clean gutters from dirt and debris, clean under decks and place screens behind vents since embers travel and get into nooks and crannies. Motty says to keep wood piles stacked away from the home.
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