Sunday fires in North and South Frontenac
Fire Destroys Four Cottages on Birch Island, Bobs Lake.
Fire crews from South and Central Frontenac responded to a fire call at about 3:30 on Sunday afternoon (October 19) from Birch Island, near Crow Bay on Bobs Lake, not far from South Frontenac Fire Hall 1, on Bradshaw Road, Tichborne.
According to South Frontenac Chief of Emergency Services Del Blakney, a Birch Island resident called 911 after trying to put it out. Conditions were extremely dry and windy at the time, and the fire quickly spread.
Two marine fire crews arrived on the scene first, but the fire had already spread through the island, and at least one cottage was already fully engaged in fire. Four cottages burned as crews struggled to get the fire under control.
“The crews managed to get the fire under control, saving the rest of the cottages on the island, and most of the crews left at around 6:30pm,” Blakney said.
Conditions for the firefighters were difficult, and two of the crew members have been treated for heat related health issues. There are no reports of injury to members of the public on the island.
Two firefighters remained on the island overnight. While the surface fire was out, underground fires are always a concern in wooded areas.
“Islands are particularly difficult, because they are often hollow underneath,” Blakney said. “On behalf of the department, I want to thank the homeowner on the island who provided food and lodging for the firefighters, so they could stay on the island overnight.”
The cause of the fire has not yet been verified, but Blakney said that it appears it stemmed from a burn barrel that was being used by an island resident, which may result in legal consequences for that individual.
“We have a level 1 fire ban in place in South Frontenac because of the dry conditions we have been experiencing, and burn barrels are not permitted when a burn ban is in place,” Blakney added.
Blakney said that the warm dry weather throughout the late part of the summer and into the fall have made for a very busy, difficult fire season in South Frontenac.
“With it being October, we have received a lot of calls from residents asking about burn barrels, as they want to burn off brush before winter, which many residents do in the fall,” he said, “but burn barrels are not safe in these dry conditions. Fire gets into the ground underneath them and can spread easily in these conditions. That is why they are covered in a level 1 ban. There can be serious consequences.”
A formal investigation into the cause of the fire is underway this week.
Blakney said that in spite of the heavy rain on Sunday night, which was very helpful on Birch Island, the level 1 fire ban remains in place in South Frontenac. He said there is rain in the forecast later in the week, and that may lead to a lifting of the ban, but as long as the ban is in place, “it is in place for a reason and residents need to refrain from burning.”
Asked whether he is looking forward to the first snowfall of the season, Blakeny did not hesitate.
'Definitely', he said
North Frontenac Fire Causes Road Closure, Evacuations
Fire crews in North Frontenac responded to a fire that was reported at about 6pm on Sunday evening (October 19). The fire was located between Lavant Road and Donaldson, on Road 509, between Snow Road and Ompah (closer to Snow Road).
“Because there was an active fire at the time in Addington Highlands, as well as the fire in South Frontenac, that Central Frontenac crews were responding to, we could not count on mutual aid from either of those crews,” said North Frontenac Chief Administrative Officer Cory Klatt, when contacted on Monday (October 20), “but our North Frontenac Crew were assisted by crews from Lanark, who sent a pumper, which was really helpful.”
Frontenac OPP also responded with a number of personnel and remained in the township overnight. Because it was so hard to tell where the fire was going, The OPP assisted the township by warning local residents, in the Snow Road and Ompah areas, about the potential danger posed by the fire, which was about 1 kilometre long along 509, and about 500 metres deep into the bush.
Road 509 was closed between Lavant Road and Snow Road at 6:50pm on Sunday night, and residents were told to consider evacuation as a precautionary measure.
The Snow Road and Ompah Halls were set up as evacuation centres, and according to North Frontenac Mayor Gerry Lichty, a family of 4-6 people, stayed overnight at the Snow Road Hall on Sunday Night. Others stayed with friends, and Lichty said there were some who were booking motels in Perth for the night.
Hanne and Robert Quigley of Silent Valley Alpacas, located at the original Donaldson homestead, had been in Ottawa on Sunday and were headed back to visit friends on Sunday Lake, when they heard about the fire. Their friends on Sunday Lake told them there was ash in the air above the lake, so the Quigley’s headed home. They found their property was intact, and at that time the fire was on the other side of the road.
“Not long after we got home, an OPP officer arrived and told us they recommended that we evacuate. So, we went to a friend’s home for the night. We were not that concerned because they said it was a precaution, but it does make you wonder.” We heard on Monday from a friend who is in the fire department, that our property was not impacted, and we came home later in the day. Luckily, everyone seems to be fine,” said Hanne Quigley.
The situation at the fire scene was complicated by a power failure on Sunday night,
At 10:30 pm on Sunday night, crews were pulled out of the bush because of darkness, and they returned in the morning.
On Monday morning, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) crews arrived to help the beleaguered township crews.
As late as 2:30pm on Monday, the OPP were still reporting that Road 509 remained closed, and there was still “extensive heavy smoke in the area impacting visibility. “
At that time, the MNR was reporting that the fire appeared to no longer be spreading, but continued to burn in some sections, and the area remained very smoky.
The Quigley’s, as well as some other property owners who had evacuated, began to trickle back home.
Late in the afternoon the evacuation centres were formally closed, and at 7pm, the section of Road 509 that had been closed 24 hours earlier, was reopened to traffic.
Fire crews were still on the scene on Tuesday, dealing with remnants of the fire.
Cory Klatt said that the cause of the fire is under investigation.
