Stop burning woodfall from Dorian, councillor asks

Summerside council has been dealing with a lot of calls about backyard fires since post-tropical storm Dorian.

The city was particularly hard hit when Dorian hit P.E.I. 10 days ago, and many trees came down. Coun. Bruce MacDougall said he's received several complaints about people burning the wood from those trees in their backyards.

"People putting them in their fire pits and burning them, it just creates a lot of unnecessary calls that we get," said MacDougall.

"We're supplying curb side pickup and we hope that people will abide by the rules."

He said he understands the enjoyment of a fire, but is reminding residents of the rules.

The complete set of rules is on the city's website, but they include using dry firewood, not burning when winds are gusty, and keeping the fire 25 feet (eight metres) from buildings and 10 feet (three metres) from combustible materials such as shrubs, overhanging trees, and wooden fences.

Burning garbage, such as roof shingles, is illegal.

MacDougall suggests putting the trees out for pickup instead of burning. He said the city will be doing curbside pickup until all the yard waste from the storm is gone.

The city has also created a drop-off point for debris from Dorian.

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