THUNDER BAY – Wild Fire Update – There were no new fires by the evening of July 5 in the Northwest Region.
There are 53 active fires in the region. Nine of these fires are under control and the remaining 44 fires are being observed. Except for one fire in the Thunder Bay District the remaining fires are in the districts of Nipigon (18), Red Lake (11) and Sioux Lookout (23) in the northern sectors of the region.
Overall, there are 318 wild fires burning across Ontario that have consumed 32,315 hectares of wildlands. This is well above last year when there had been 137 wild fires which had consumed 3,255 hectares.
Progress continues on the Muskrat Dam complex in the Sioux Lookout District. Resources are being scaled down now with all fires under control.
Limited suppression work began July 4 on Nipigon District Fire Number 024, located about 10 kilometers west of the community of Lansdowne House. It has grown in size and shown active fire behaviour. FireRanger crews are establishing hose lines on the fire and air attack is working to limit the fire spread.
Flights continue across the northern sectors of Red Lake, Sioux Lookout and Nipigon Districts to assess the fires.
The forest fire hazard is forecast to be low across the entire region on July 6 except for an area of moderate to high in the far north of the Sioux Lookout and Nipigon Districts.
For more information about the current fire situation and the active fires map, ontario.ca/forestfire
Out of Province Deployment
Ontario is supporting firefighting efforts with 219 fire management personnel to the following provinces and territories. Alberta (80), Saskatchewan (43), Parks Canada- Saskatchewan(8), the Northwest Territories(84), Manitoba (2) and the Yukon (2).
There are seven aviation personnel in Alberta to provide air attack with two CL-415 heavy water bombers and one bird dog aircraft.
Ontario is providing equipment including fire hose, sprinkler kits, pumps and chainsaws to Alberta, British Columbia, Parks Canada and Saskatchewan.
The Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services program would like to remind 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.
The Northwest Region Fire Information Hotline is available for general information updates – 1-888-258-8842. Report forest fires by calling 310-FIRE (3473).
