THUNDER BAY – There are 55 active fires in the northern sectors of the Northwest Region including 18 in the Nipigon District; 12 in the Red Lake District and 24 in the Sioux Lookout District. Thunder Bay District has one fire.
Two new fires were confirmed by the evening of July 4 including Kenora District Fire Number 037 which was declared out within a couple of hours. Located east of Ingolf in the west end of the district it was a fire on a small island started by lightning that hit the area several days ago. The other was Red Lake Fire Number 049 located about 48 kilometers south west of Red Lake. This new fire was listed as being held at 0.1 hectares by late afternoon.
Crews continue to work on the Muskrat Dam Fire Complex (Sioux Lookout District Fire Numbers 31, 32, 33, and 40) and have made excellent progress in the last few days. The fires are now all classed as under control.
Reconnaissance flights continue across the northern sectors of Red Lake, Sioux Lookout and Nipigon District to assess the fires. These flights provide updates on fire behaviour and are useful when planning values protection. A number of the fires have had their sizes updated and are showing some growth, although many are reported as showing minimal fire behaviour.
The forest fire hazard is forecast to drop to low in most of the region with a weather system coming in from the west.
Out of Province
Ontario is supporting firefighting efforts in the Northwest Territories, Alberta, the Yukon, Parks Canada and Saskatchewan. We currently have 218 fire management personnel deployed out of province. These include FireRanger Crews, Agency Representative, Strike Team Leaders, and Ignition Specialists. Ontario is also supplying Parks Canada, Saskatchewan and Alberta with firefighting equipment to aid in suppression efforts. There are also seven aviation personnel in Alberta to provide air attack with two CL-415 heavy water bombers and one bird dog aircraft.
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).
