THUNDER BAY – There were no confirmed new fires by the time of this report but FireRangers were checking on wild fire reports in the Dryden and Sioux Lookout Districts.
There are currently 10 active fires in the region including one in the Fort Frances District; two in the Kenora District; six in the Red Lake District, one in the Thunder Bay District.
One fire did require air attack support May 31, Red Lake District Fire Number 010. This is a 650 hectare lightning-caused wild fire located about 70 km northwest of Red Lake in Woodland Caribou Provincial Park. FireRanger crews are establishing hose lines around the perimeter of the fire.
Since April 1 there have been 127 wild fires in the region burning an area of 2,753.6 hectares.
Provincially the total number of fires is 191 with an area burned of 2,874 hectares. At this time in 2014 there had been 58 fires and 96 hectares burned. The ten year average is 246 fires and 9,913 hectares burned.
The forest fire hazard is high in the west and northwest sectors of the region, moderate in the central and northeast sectors and low in the southeast.
Out of Province Deployment Update
Ontario continues to support Alberta and Yukon firefighting efforts. Currently there are 143 personnel in Alberta along with pumps and hose equipment from Ontario, and 74 personnel in Yukon.
The Alberta deployment includes sustained attack crews, initial attack crews, strike team leaders, agency representatives and an aerial ignition team. There is also one Type 1 and one Type 2 Incident Management Team. They are stationed in the areas of Lac La Biche, Whitecourt and Fort Chippewa and the aerial ignition team is assigned to the Lac La Biche and Fort McMurray areas.
The Yukon deployment includes 18 four-person Initial Attack crews and agency representatives. The crews are working fires in the Watson Lake, Carmacks and Mayo areas.
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).
