An unattended burn barrel is being blamed for a fire that destroyed a garage at a home on Royston Road in Burk’s Falls.
Fire departments from Burk’s Falls, Magnetawan, Kearney, Perry, and McMurrich-Monteith responded to what was initially believed to be a call for a large brush fire. When crews arrived on scene they found the garage completely engulfed in flames. Thanks to the twenty-five firefighters battling the blaze the house was untouched in spite of propane cylinders being stored beside it. There was no smoke damage.
705BLACKFLY.COM was on scene and spoke with the owner of the neighbouring property who was helping the owners clean up the yard when the fire began.
“There was a lot of stuff in that garage, a lot of memories, a lot of belongings, a lot of tools, but all the humans are alive. That’s all that really matters,” said Gerta Lambertson.
The official cause of the blaze is unattended burning. No charges were laid. Burk’s Falls Fire Chief Joe Readman says this demonstrates the importance of using the utmost caution with burns.
“It echoes everything we are always saying,” Readman says. “Be outside with your fire, have the tools and the means to control it whether it’s a garden house, fire extinguisher, bucket of water, shovel, bag of sand, whatever that is for the size of fire you’re having. Make sure you have the adequate means to control that if a gust of wind does come up and takes an ember into the grass, you can deal with it right away and you’re not scrambling. Be proactive, not reactive.”
In Almaguin, open air burning rules for 2025 state that daytime burning is prohibited from April 1 to October 31, and nighttime burning is allowed under certain conditions. Check with your local fire department or by-law office for permit requirements. The fire danger rating in your specific area will also influence what is allowed, with higher ratings potentially restricting or prohibiting all open fires. Check with your local fire department or your municipality’s website for by-laws and current fire danger ratings.
For more details on regulations and safety procedures go to the Government of Ontario’s website.
Watch our video for full interviews from the scene.
