THUNDER BAY – WEATHER – There were no new fires confirmed by the afternoon of August 04. There are currently 22 active fires in the Northwest Region with six in the Nipigon District, nine in the Red Lake District, six in the Sioux Lookout District, and one in the Kenora District. All of these fires are being observed. Reconnaissance flights are being planned to assess these fires later in the week.
The forest fire hazard is low across most sectors of the region except for a moderate hazard in the southwest sector of Fort Frances and Kenora Districts.
Northeast District is a different story.
Yesterday there were 3 new fires reported in the Northeast region, these fires are all out. So far today, one new fire has been reported. North Bay 13 is not yet under control at 0.3 of a hectare.
There are currently 16 active fires in the region, two not yet under control, one being held, four under control and nine being observed, mostly in the far north.
The fire hazard today is showing mostly a low hazard throughout the region with the exception of the Algonquin Park area and the Sault Ste. Marie to Greater Sudbury region which is showing a moderate hazard.
Fire Of Note
Fire Sudbury 38 is not under control at approximately 438 hectares. This fire has received some rain the last two days which has helped fire crews make progress in containing it. We are still moving resources to the incident so crews levels continue to fluctuate. Our Incident Management Team is now in place with base camp operations already underway. With the weather we saw and with the hard work of ground crews, the fire did not see any significant growth yesterday. At this time, the fire is about 25 percent contained.
Emergency Area Order
Effective 4:00 p.m. Friday July 31, 2015, an Emergency Area Order has been implemented for an area north of Sudbury, northeast of Halfway Lake Provincial Park in Northeastern Ontario. The order covers an area around the Sudbury 38 wildfire, located east of Highway 144 as depicted in this map. While the Order is in effect, road closures and travel restrictions may occur.
Putting the order in place is a precaution that allows the ministry to move quickly to restrict access to areas being threatened to protect public safety. This could involve closing roads to prevent the movement of people into the area. It also means that people may be asked to leave an area if fire management personnel believe that the public is at risk from the threat of fire. Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry fire staff and conservation officers will strictly enforce the restrictions.
The following are the Implementation Orders Issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry under Emergency Area Order 2015-01.
- All travel on and use of any and all forest access roads and trails on crown lands in the Townships of Onaping , Scotia, Fairbairn, Dunbar, Emo, Rhodes, within the EAO is prohibited unless authorized by a travel permit issued by the Sudbury District of the MNRF.
- The use and occupation of crown lands within the Townships of Onaping , Scotia, Fairbairn, Dunbar, Emo, Rhodes, within the EAO is prohibited.
- The use and occupation of crown land in the townships of Frechette McNamara, Sweeney, Beaumont, Roberts and Botha within the EAO area will be allowed but user may be notified that immediate evacuation of the area may occur and must comply immediately vacating the area.
NOTAM #150665 is in effect for the Sudbury 38 fire within the Emergency Area Order. Please refer to Transport Canada’s website for more flight details on the NOTAM.
Out of Province Deployment
Currently there are 118 fire management personnel from Ontario in the following locations -British Columbia (57), Manitoba – Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (1), and Saskatchewan (60).
Ontario is also 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 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
