The decision to lift the fire ban in Madawaska Valley was one that had to be made quickly.
That’s according to Madawaska Valley Fire Chief Corwin Quade, who says he got a message Friday night from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry that the provincial fire restriction in Renfrew County had been lifted. He says the MNRF originally predicted the restriction to be in effect until September, so hearing it was called off was a bit of a surprise.
Quade says he was quick to call nearby municipalities to see if other local bans would be lifted so Madawaska Valley could follow suit.
Since the ban is now lifted, people in Madawaska Valley can now legally have fires between sunset and sunrise. Quade says that a big factor in having the ban lifted was how cool it was overnight.
Following the five-week ban, Quade says he will have to see how weather plays out in the coming weeks before deciding if the fire department will issue another ban or not.