The Township of Mapleton is offering local residents some direction on building a safe campfire or a fire in their backyard.
Referencing regulations covered in Bylaw 2015-067, the township is providing some tips in an effort to prevent or reduce the chance of having a total fire ban applied to all recreational fires.
“Remember a campfire is your responsibility,” township officials stated in a recent press release that notes a campfire site must not be any closer than 15 metres from burnable fuel.
“Our neighbours are one of the main considerations when selecting a site. Smoke or embers cannot be allowed to affect your neighbour,” the release points out.
Once the site has been selected, an area twice the size of the fire pit should be cleared of flammable debris. It is nice to have the fire pit ringed with brick, rocks or metal. If the pit is ringed with some of the ring below ground, ensure there is no flammable debris below ground or against the ring.
Keep the fire small, no bigger than one metre in diameter, and about a half-metre in height. The higher a fire is built, the further embers can be transferred.
The size of wood also matters. Wood that is split fine (less than 2cm) will start to burn quicker than larger pieces. Cut the wood no longer than a half-metre. This allows the pieces to overlap, burn and not fall outside of the fire pit.
Natural cured wood (dry wood) should be the only wood used to burn. Tree branches can be burnt if they are dry, no longer than a half-metre and have no leaves or needles on them. Freshly cut lumber is not totally cured and will emit more smoke than lumber which has been piled for a while. Chemically treated wood (preservative, paint, tar, etc…) emits toxic fumes when burned and must not be used as campfire wood.
A fire must be supervised at all times. When the recreational fire time is finished the person supervising the fire must ensure that it is extinguished.
Water is the only method to put out a camp fire. This is done by slowly pouring water in a splashing motion on the fire.
Note: once cold water comes in contact with the hot fire, the water will immediately turn to steam and can eject steam and hot water. This is why splashing should be done to initially cool the fire/embers. When steam is not visible, stir the mixture of ashes and water with a stick, pour in some more water and with your hand, feel for heat above the surface (this should be done with the back of your hand, as it is more sensitive than the palm).
