Fire safety is important all year round, however now during the harvest season when conditions are dry, the risk of having a run-away fire is high, especially when wind is added to the mix.

It's been a fairly good summer with fewer calls, says Killarney-Turtle Mountain Deputy Fire Chief, Sean Phillips.  He attributes this to residents and farmers exercising their due diligence over the summer months, when it comes to burning garbage or grassy areas.

People are respecting the burn permits and people are doing a better job of ensuring that if they are burning, they're making sure that the conditions are safe, they may have had some moisture in their areas, but most areas are quite dry."

"There is no actual burn-ban on in our municipality," explains Phillips, "however we do ask that burn permits be taken out. So, if you feel you need to burn something, right now I feel with it being so dry, maybe now is not the best conditions and it would best if you could push that off further into the Fall once we get a little bit more moisture and the crops are off."

For those burning garbage in a burning barrel, Phillips suggests having a fire barrier around the barrel, such as gravel or worked up dirt. Dousing hot embers with water before leaving the site is best, just to be safe.   "Just keep a really close eye on it," he adds. "

We do see pits where people throw their garbage into and it can smolder for weeks on end and then when the wind gets up in the right direction, the next thing you know it's into the tree line. So, if one can wait until we get some moisture, that would be better."