Haldimand County Fire Department is advising residents that open-air burning may continue while the COVID-19 situation unfolds, as long as a proper permit has been acquired and open-air fire burning by-laws are followed. No new burn permits will be issued until further notice due to the closure of the Haldimand County Administration Building, however, staff are working to develop an online permit application and processing tool.

Residents with non-recreational open-air burn permits are reminded that:

– Burns must be conducted between sunrise and sunset
– Burns must be confined to an area which is at least 60m from any buildings, highway, road or wooded area
– The burn area must not exceed 6m x 6m
– Smoke must not have a negative impact on the visibility of motorists or neighbours
– Favourable weather conditions must be present: no fog, no air quality alerts, no burn bans, winds less than 20 km/hr
– The fire must be attended, controlled and supervised at all times
– The fire must be completely extinguished before the site is vacated

An Open-Air Burn Guide & other fire safety resources are available at HaldimandCounty.ca/fire-services/.

For local information about the COVID-19 pandemic – including facility closures, program cancellations, municipal service options & other key details, visit HaldimandCounty.ca/covid-19/.