Using some fire pits, open air burning without a permit in Windsor will now land you a $570 fine

If a neighbour reports your backyard fire in Windsor this summer, be prepared to pay a hefty fine that covers the cost of the fire department's response.

City council approved a new $570.50 fine for people starting fires on their property that don't fit within the city's bylaw. 

That's up from the $150 fine in 2024 — and Windsor's fire chief says they're not giving out any more warnings when they arrive on scene. 

"We've spent a number of months with stern warnings and that has now ceased," said fire chief James Waffle. 

"Everybody is getting billed."

The bylaw does not allow wood burning fires in pits or steel drums unless it is approved by the fire department through the permit process. 

Approved outdoor cooking appliances include barbecues, pizza ovens and small fire pits that are propane or natural gas fired. 

Telling firefighters your fire is for cooking, or keeping a grill nearby, won't get you out of a fine. 

"We've seen a number of things over years, you know, rocks and tinfoil pretending to be baked potatoes, right? That's not an approved cooking appliance," Waffle said. 

The increased fine comes as the fire department handles higher annual call volumes for all types of events across the city.

Waffle said the department doesn't drive around the city looking for backyard fires.

"But if it comes in by complaint or through our dispatch system, we go."

Responses are costly, pull away from other work

May is typically the busiest time of the year for this type of call. 

Firefighters responded to 369 open burn calls in 2024, bucking a downward trend that started in 2020.

Waffle said he did not yet have numbers about fines issued over the Victoria Day long weekend. 

The fine is set to match the Ontario Ministry of Transportation's fire department response rate, which is adjusted annually. 

These open air burn calls cost Windsor just over $200,000 in 2024, using last years figures.

Waffle said another area of concern is what people are burning when they show up. 

"They're burning rubbish, plastics, metals, wood, grass clippings," said Waffle. 

He said one of the issues with these types of calls is how often it pulls firefighters away from the station. 

"It's a significant strain on our resources, particularly if and when a fire comes in that's at another location, you have a crew that's tied up," he said.

These types of preventative bylaws are found at major urban centres throughout Ontario because a campfire in a backyard can be risky, said the chief. 

He said a backyard fire spreading and becoming a house fire happens on occasion, and that requires an even bigger response. 

"We're responding with more crews, unfortunately your bill gets even bigger," he said.

The fire department doesn't receive many applications for open burn fire permits.

There's been 11 since the permit system was adopted in 2023 and the fire department has only approved two.