Open-air fire ban lifted for the city of Ottawa

The Ottawa Fire Service has lifted the open-air fire ban for the city of Ottawa, allowing residents to once again have campfires and use outdoor fireplaces.

The burn ban was issued on March 24 due to the dry conditions this spring.  The open-air fire ban ended Thursday morning after Ottawa received 10.8 cm of snow and 14.5 mm of rain over a 24-hour period.

Ottawa fire spokesperson Nick Defazio told CTV News Ottawa last week that firefighters had responded to at least one brush fire a day between March 15 and March 27. On Tuesday, firefighters extinguished a brush fire "the size of a football field" on Osgoode Main Street.

"Firefighters brought in chainsaws to cut down trees to be able to get hose lines into the area to extinguish the multiple fires in different areas of the brush," Ottawa fire said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

The Ottawa Fire Service reminds residents that they must obtain an open-air fire permit to have an open-air fire within the city.