THUNDER BAY – There were three new wild fires confirmed in the Northwest Region by the time of this report, one each in the districts of Kenora, Red Lake and Sioux Lookout.
By day’s end on May 26 there were eight new fires, seven of them in the Red Lake District and one in the Sioux Lookout District.
Wild Fire Caused by Lightning
The main cause of these new fires was lightning. Red Lake District is managing the fires which are located in Woodland Caribou Park and north towards the community of Pikangikum. There is no immediate threat to the community, and fires in the area are being assessed and managed with a combination of FireRanger crews, ignition teams and monitoring, allowing some fires to burn to natural boundaries.
Two of the larger fires include Red Lake Fire Number 007, located in Woodland Caribou Park. It is classed as not under control at 600 hectares in size and Red Lake Fire Number 010, also located in Woodland Caribou Park and is 285 hectares in size.
The fire hazard is showing high to extreme in the northwest sectors of the region. Although rain is in the forecast, it hasn’t arrived yet.
Out of Province
There are currently 74 personnel in the Yukon and 126 personnel in Alberta. A three person ignition team and a 15 person Type 1 Incident Management Team are also deploying to Alberta this week.
Equipment is being shipped to Alberta including 100 pump kits and three thousand lengths of hose.
Alberta Fire Update
- In the last 24 hours there have been 33 new wildfires.
- Currently, Alberta has 63 wildfires: 13 are out of control, 14 are being held, 35 are under control and 1 has been turned over to the responsible party.
- Since April 1, 723 fires and 29,660 hectares have burned.
- The wildfire outlook in Alberta remains severe through to the end of this week.
- The Alberta Emergency Management Agency and the Alberta government are closely monitoring the situation.
- Alberta Agriculture and Forestry has 660 firefighters and 75 helicopters deployed
- Approximately 1,000 firefighters, 106 helicopters, and 2 air tankers are pre-positioned across the province to fight new wildfires.
- 116 firefighters and a 10-person incident management team have been imported from Ontario and Quebec.
Evacuations
- All evacuation orders have now been lifted.
- People who were previously under a mandatory evacuation order are in the process of returning to their homes. The local authorities are coordinating their re-entry.
Air quality
- Air quality in much of the northern regions of the province will continue to be affected by the smoke.
- Alberta Health Services has issued a Precautionary Air Quality Advisory for the entire North zone and Edmonton areas.
- The Cold Lake-specific Air Quality Advisory issued by AHS on May 25 remains in place.
- These advisories alert Albertans to the health concerns and risks associated with smoky air conditions, and advise on important steps they can take to protect themselves and their loved ones.
- These advisories will remain in place until further notice.
Ontario Fire Safety
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. Campfires are to be tended at all times and put out before leaving.
For further tips on how to be FireSmart, visit ontario.ca/firesmart
For more information about the current fire situation and the active fires map, ontario.ca/forestfire
The Northwest Region Fire Information Hotline is available for general information updates – 1-888-258-8842
Report forest fires by calling 310-FIRE (3473).
