NEWS RELEASE
ONTARIO PROVINCIAL POLICE
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On June 7, shortly after 9:15 p.m., members from the East Algoma Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) received a call to assist the Blind River Fire Department at a residence on Solomon Street in the Town of Blind River after somebody started having a fire during the current fire ban.
Upon police arrival, the fire in the backyard was extinguished, and officers located a person who was belligerent and upset at members of the fire department because they couldn't have a fire.
Joshua McRae, 35, from Blind River, was charged with unlawfully starting a fire in a restricted fire zone.
The accused was issued a Provincial Offences Act Notice for this offence. Having a fire during a restricted fire zone carries an $880 fine under the Forest Fires Prevention Act.
"The East Algoma OPP have responded to recent calls for service related to fire bans around the East Algoma area. In the current dry conditions, these are serious matters that put lives, property and infrastructure at risk. There will be zero tolerance for any open-air burning, including campfires during the current Restricted Fire Zone, and we will continue to support our local fire departments", says Inspector Tyler Sturgeon.
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