Bell Island Man Fined After RCMP Respond to Fire During Provincial Ban

A 72-year-old Bell Island man has been fined under Newfoundland and Labrador’s Forestry Act after RCMP responded to an unauthorized backyard fire during a provincial fire ban.

Bell Island RCMP said officers were called to a residence on Dobbins Road at approximately 4 p.m. on July 10 after receiving a report of a fire being burned despite restrictions put in place by provincial authorities.

Upon arrival, police discovered an unattended wood-burning fire in the backyard of the property. Officers extinguished the fire to prevent it from spreading.

The following day, July 11, RCMP located the homeowner and issued a ticket under the Forestry Act for failing to comply with the fire ban.