North Bay Fire and Emergency Services personnel have seen their responses to outdoor fire calls have reached new heights in 2024. The 344 outdoor fire calls logged by NBFES this year have already surpassed the previous high of 311 set in 2023 in a data range reaching back to 2017.
The following table shows the increase in outdoor burning complaints that have resulted in calls to 9-1-1 and required a response from NBFES personnel for fire safety reasons.
NBFES Outdoor Fire Responses
- 2017 61
- 2018 109
- 2019 86
- 2020 168
- 2021 206
- 2022 213
- 2023 311
- 2024 344 *to date
The calls have escalated every year since 2019, with a considerable jump in 2020 that has continued to tick upward in the years since.
When BayToday investigated the local outdoor fire call epidemic in October, the total number of calls stood at 264, meaning 80 more calls have been registered since, with about four potentially cold and snowy weeks to go in the year.
From 2017–19 the average annual total of outdoor fire responses in those three pre-pandemic years was 85.3. From 2020 through 2023, the annual average is 224.5. Annual outdoor fire responses quintupled from 61 in 2017 to 311 in 2023, and 2024 has now seen nearly six times as many — 344 (so far).
“North Bay Fire has seen a substantial increase since 2020 in the number of responses to reports of outdoor burning that is not compliant with the open-air burning by-law," Deputy Chief Greg Saunders told BayToday in October. "Much of this increase can be attributed to the rise in homelessness in our community. Unhoused people are relying on propane and fire for warmth and cooking. Tents and other makeshift shelters catch fire easily, allowing flames to spread quickly through encampments, destroying shelters and belongings and putting people at risk.”
Saunders is careful not to assign fault to those seeking warmth or starting fires to cook for the dramatic jump. He notes the outdoor fire calls also include grass fires and general burning complaints. However, as the Deputy Fire Chief states in the video above, there is no question many of the fires are related to the population of people experiencing homelessness in our community. On those fire responses, Saunders says, "Our crews, we manage them in the most compassionate way we can but it's a strain on our resources."