By Angela Gemmill
Careless Burning turned into a forest fire, which has now turned into a hefty fine for a Sudbury man.
In early May, Ministry of Natural Resources Fire Rangers were called to put out a forest fire near Appelo Lake, 75-kilometres north of Sudbury.
An Ontario Court of Justice in Gogama recently found Michael St Amand guilty of failing to keep a fire under control and unlawfully starting a fire outdoors more than two hours before sunset.
He was ordered to pay a $500 fine and $5,000 towards the suppression of the fire, which included the use of a CL-215 water bomber.
St Amand pleaded guilty to the charges.
He had been burning wood debris and other waste material in a burning barrel without a spark screen.
A spark escaped through a hole in the barrel which resulted in the forest fire.