Local News

Meeting called to help protect Wainfleet Bog as a blaze continues to burn

8/7/2012

Mother Nature is not helping a situation in Wainfleet where a fire is burning in the bog area and officials are rushing to create a plan to protect the precious ecosystem.

The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority has called a meeting with the Ministry of Natural Resources, and local fire officials to develop a plan to put out the bog fire which has been burning since last week.

The meeting will be held at 1p.

Officials were hoping that the weekend rain would help put out the fire, but that's not the case.

It's believed the fire started in a remote area of the bog by natural causes, with a possible lightning strike combined with very dry, and hot conditions.

The fire site is in a part of the bog that is remote and usually under water, but with this summer's dry conditions the fire continues to burn.

Bog fires don't normally produce flames, but causes heavy smoke since it burns underground.

Area roadways around the bog have been closed off.

Smoke can be seen in the area.

NPCA officials say they are working very hard to put out the blaze, but it will be a challenge since the area is inaccessible by vehicles.

Roadways and paths will need to be created for firefighters to get close enough to extinguish the flames.

The last fire was in 1999 in the bog.

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