May 06. The fire renews the ecosystem on the islands and will provide opportunity for research on the effects of fire.
THUNDER BAY – FIRE UPDATE – Cooler temperatures helped reduce the risk from wildfires.
There was one new confirmed fire in the Northwest Region by the evening of May 9 in the district of Thunder Bay. Located west of Upsala the fire was declared out today at 0.1 hectares in size.
Rain and colder temperatures have knocked the forest fire hazard down to low in most locations of the region with the exception of some pockets of moderate in the eastern sectors of the Fort Frances District. Prior to the change in weather there were multiple new forest fires reported, including 11 new fires on May 6 and one on May 07. There were no new fires reported on May 08 in the region.
Kenora District conducted a successful prescribed burn May 6 on islands in the Lake of the Woods Conservation reserve.
and Emergency Services Program in Ontario has reintroduced fire to these island landscapes after decades of fire suppression.
Fire science research has shown that fire is beneficial to ecosystems. Prescribed burns will help renew the island ecosystem
and provide valuable information to researchers for fire management planning.
The Kenora Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry District Office and Fire Management Headquarters staff have been managing forest fires within the Lake of the Woods ecosystem to bring fire back onto the landscape for ecosystem renewal. The results of this and previous prescribed burns will provide scientific knowledge about the effects of fire on the islands which in turn will help support future fire management planning.
Aviation and FireRanger crews and First Nations Community Fire Officers across the region continue with mandatory training.
The Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services program is reminding people that they are responsible for safe outdoor fire management and must follow guidelines set out in the Forest Fires Prevention Act of Ontario including no day burning of brush or grass fires.
Tips on how to be FireSmart can be found at ontario.ca/firesmart For more information about the current fire situation and to view the active fires map check ontario.ca/forestfire
Forest Fire Reporting – 310-FIRE (3473).
