SOUTH GLENGARRY, Ontario – A South Glengarry farmer will be made to pay for an agricultural fire that shutdown a part of Glen Rd. for a few days in September.
Over the course of the second week of September, the farmer started multiple brush fires to clear roughly 10 acres of land.
According to South Glengarry Fire Chief Dave Robertson, the landowners who started the fire did not follow instructions he had communicated to them and did not follow the rules of their burn permit.
“Basically, it was supposed to be burned in a monitored volume and that was not followed,” he said.
Deputy Mayor Lyle Warden said that he received a call from one resident who said that she was stuck in her house during the event and was unable to go outside due to the amount of smoke.
“I think that at a minimum this individual should be charged for all costs,” said Warden. “In this case, the landowner went against what the Chief instructed.”
The estimated total cost to the municipality for responding to this fire and closing that part of Glen Rd. is between $1,500 and $2,000.
“This one event was a significant issue for the Fire Service and the Roads Department,” said Chief Robertson.
Chief Robertson said that the farmer’s burn permit was revoked and that the farmer would be made to pay back the Township for the cost of their response to the fire.
“At some point we are going to have to take a stand,” said Mayor Frank Prevost.
Councillor Martin Lang said that the agricultural community were not impressed by the fire either.
“Some members of the agricultural community were not happy about this. Some asked that he be fined,” said Lang.
