Lambton County fire chiefs are evaluating whether a county-wide fire ban can be lifted after a night of rain in parts of Central Lambton.

St. Clair Fire Chief Walt Anderson, who is the Lambton County Fire Coordinator, says departments across the region decided to follow Dawn-Euphemia’s lead and place a ban on all large fires such as burning brush and old homes – things Anderson says would require a fire permit. Small fires for camping – which are closely monitored – are permited.

Anderson says the main concern is the extreme dry weather and the almost ready to harvest wheat crop. “I’m told the wheat is extra thick the way it came in this year, so it makes it just that much harder to fight it,” says Anderson adding “if it does start putting people out there in the heat to fight it, that’s not good.”

The chief says there will be a discussion today if the rain early Friday morning has eased the situation. “A lot of our chief’s are farmers and we rely on them when making the decision.”