THUNDER BAY – Four new fires were confirmed on August 14. Thunder Bay District Fire Number 13 is being observed at 0.1 ha and is located north of Brennan Lake. Nipigon District Fire Number 18 is not under control at 1.0 ha and is located near Fort Hope First Nation. Fort Frances District Fire Number 13 and Dryden District Fire Number 6 were both declared out at 0.1 ha.
There was one new forest fire confirmed in the Northwest Region by the afternoon of August 15. Thunder Bay Fire District Number 14 is not
under control at 0.5 ha and is located west of Raith. The current number of active fires in the region has reached 14, with 11 of those being observed. The degree of concern for fire behaviour is moderate across the region. For Friday August 15, a cold front moving through the northwest will produce mainly cloudy skies with showers and thunderstorms across the region. The forecast for Saturday August 16 is continued clouds with light rain showers in the morning then clearing through the day.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry are monitoring a small fire in the Kenora District. This fire is located on a small island north of Windfall Island. This fire is managed under the Lake of the Woods Conservation Reserve Fire Response Plan. This fire is helping renew the forest ecosystem in the area. Fire in the landscape as an agent for ecosystem renewal is a fundamental component of the wildland fire strategy in Ontario. The Lake of the Woods Conservation Reserve is located in an area where the Prairie, Great Lakes–St. Lawrence, and Boreal forest regions converge. Historically, fire has been a frequent natural disturbance in this area. Many plants and animals of the area are adapted to and/or depend on fires to create and maintain suitable habitat. It does not pose a threat to people or property.
For more information please call the Kenora Fire Management Headquarters at (807) 548-1919.
Out of province dispatches
Resource movement continues from Ontario out to British Columbia and the Northwest Territories. There are 464 personnel from Ontario at this time with 316 in British Columbia and 148 in the Northwest Territories. More personnel including overhead staff and FireRanger crews are scheduled outbound later this week, while resources that have reached the end of their duty time are also scheduled to return from the Northwest Territories.
Ontario is also providing equipment including 430 power pumps, six thousand lengths of hose, two values protection units and 41 portable relay tanks to British Columbia.
