Central Frontenac Joins South Frontenac In Declaring a Total Burn Ban, North Frontenac To Do The Same As Of August 8

Jeff Green | Aug 07, 2025

Central Frontenac Fire Chief Chris McDonough upped the level of fire restriction in the township to the maximum level, declaring a Total Burn Ban, on Wednesday. August 6^th.

“The Township of Central Frontenac is currently under a Total Burn Ban. Under these conditions, all outdoor burning is strictly prohibited. This includes campfires, cooking fires, grass, brush, and any other open-air burning. If you are caught burning outdoors during this ban, your fire will be extinguished, and your actions may result in a fine,” said a township media release

Mcdonough said that there is no expectation of rain over the next two weeks, so he expects the ban to be in place for a while. A level 1 ban had been in place for almost a week, but with the Total Ban, campfires are not permitted. The ban also applies in Provincial Parks within the township. McDonough said he has informed the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry as well, as the township has a mutual aide agreement with the Ministry.

North Frontenac Fire Chief Adam Robinson said that his township will declare a full fire ban at 7am on August 8.

South Frontenac’s Fire Chief, Del Blakney, had already declared a Total Fire Ban  on August 1^st.

The restrictions in the two townships are the same.

"A total fire ban means no open air burning of any kind, including cooking fires, brush fires, campfires, and fireworks as defined in By-law 2012-68. The ban does not apply to cooking appliances with a mechanical shutoff (such as a propane barbeque)

“The decision to move to a Total Fire Ban was made based on the extreme heat the area has recently endured, combined with little to zero rainfall. Forested areas and properties across the Township are very dry. These indices in combination equal the perfect circumstances for a wildfire to erupt,” said a South Frontenac release on August 1.

South Frontenac Fire and Rescue have deployed resources twice within the last week of July to extinguish fires in forested areas. Both fires were successfully contained, and no structures were lost. Fire personnel will continue to monitor the situation and notify the public of any status changes.

Residents can subscribe to the Fire Ban Status page of the South Frontenac Township’s website to get alerts when the Fire Ban status changes. A permit is not required for open air burning, but any open-air fire must always be supervised according to the Township’s Open Air Burning By-law.