THUNDER BAY – Time of Report 17:06 – On the hunt for new lightning-caused fires, OMNR detection aircraft had spotted five new fires in the Northwest region by the late afternoon of June 25. Forest fuels have proven receptive to at least a few of the roughly 44,000 lightning strikes to occur in the region over the past five days.
- Sioux Lookout Fire 28 was spotted by aircraft approximately 80 kilometres south west of Pickle Lake. At 0.1 hectares, the lightning-caused fire is being held.
- Sioux Lookout Fire 29 was spotted by detection aircraft 62 kilometres to the south-east of Pickle Lake. The 0.1 hectare fire is under observation.
- Thunder Bay Fire 24 was spotted by detection planes in the northwest corner of Wabakimi Provincial Park. The 0.1 hectare fire is currently not under control.
- Also within Wabakimi Provincial Park, Thunder Bay Fire 25 is not under control at 0.2 hectares.
- Red Lake Fire 50 was spotted near the boundary of Woodland Caribou Provincial Park, approximately 40 kilometres west/northwest of the town of Red Lake. The 0.1-hectare fire is not under control.
Discovered in the evening hours of June 24, Sioux Lookout Fire 27 has burned approximately 1,900 hectares in a remote area approximately 40 kilometres south of Wunnummin Lake. The fire is under observation.
The fire of note in the region is Red Lake Fire 38, which has grown to 14,888 hectares since its ignition by lightning, June 16. At the moment an ignition team, an air attack package including helicopter bucket support and FireRanger crews are focusing their efforts on securing the western flank of the fire to prevent it from encroaching towards the community of North Spirit Lake, eight kilometres to the west.
There are currently 23 active fires in the region, 18 of which are either under control, under observation or being held.
A low forest fire hazard prevails in the Kenora District while Dryden, Fort Frances, Thunder Bay and North Shore areas are currently showing a moderate to high hazard. The forest fire hazard is currently high to extreme in areas of the far north, Red Lake and Sioux Lookout Districts.
To see a complete list of fires across the province click on our interactive map. You can also get the latest update on the condition of any fire by clicking the fire icon.
Fire numbers and online information:
- Forest Fire Reporting Number – 310-FIRE (3473)
- Twitter account
Report prepared by Chris Marchand
