Man fined $5700 for starting wildland fire in Gravenhurst

A Ontario Conservation Authority vehicle pictured. (Ministry of Natural Resources)

The cost of starting a fire for one Ontario man is nearly $6,000.

In front of an Ontario Court of Justice, a Gravenhurst man pleaded guilty to failing to tend to a fire, the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) announced Friday.

The incident dates back to Aug. 2025, when a wildland fire was reported adjacent to a cottage near Gull Lake in Gravenhurst.

The MNR says a follow up investigation determined the fire to be caused by a human. Through the investigation, it was determined that the man, who owned a cottage in that area, had started a fire burning on the forest floor and not within a designated fire pit on July 31.

According to the MNR, the man left his cottage on Aug 3.

The MNR says the man was burning wood debris and did pour water on it, but a forensic investigator later determined that the debris was still in a state of “sustained combustion” after the fact.

The fire was reported on Aug. 4, a result of the debris and the hot and dry conditions in the area, the MNR says.

The ministry says the fire grew big enough to threaten nearby cottages and caused power outages at some of the properties near the lake.

The man pleaded guilty in front of a judge on April 1.

No injuries were reported as a result of the fire.

The man was fined $5,716.82.