Province bans campfires in campgrounds, provincial parks this weekend

Outdoor enthusiasts hoping to spend the weekend by the campfire are advised to leave the matches at home.

Nova Scotia's Department of Natural Resourcesissued a ministerial proclamation Friday morningbanning all campfires at provincial parks and private campgrounds this weekend.

• Much of Nova Scotia is under a fire ban, so why not provincial parks?

The ban goes into effect at 2 p.m. todayand will be in place until Monday at 2 p.m.

Natural Resources Minister Lloyd Hines cited the wildfires in Fort McMurray, Alta., and the recent fire in the Halifax areanearBayers Lake as reasons why the province needs to be extra cautious during wildfire season.

"We got a little warning there last week at Bayers Lake that ifit wasn't for the great response from our fire control people, with the helicopters and the great work that was done by the HRM fire department ... we would have been in major trouble," he said.

'Err on the side of caution'

Hines said he understands the importanceof campfires for visitors at Nova Scotia'sparksand campgrounds.

"If we have to err, we're going to err on the side of caution and public safety," he said.

It'sforecasted to be an extremely dry weekend, said Hines. He said he is asking campers for a "bit of indulgence here," and notes they will still be able to use barbecues and portable gas stoves.

Throughout the summer, Hines said the province will assess whether provincial and private parks will be included in the burn ban, depending on the conditions.

Fire conditions inNova Scotia are monitored bya network of 34 remote sensors locatedthroughout the province. These remote sensing stations measure relative humidity, temperatureand wind conditions, thenrelay that informationto the fire control centre in Shubenacadie.