by Chris Marchand
THUNDER BAY – Wild Fire Update – New fire starts continue to emerge in the Kenora and Red Lake District of the Northwest Region where forest fire hazard conditions are extreme in areas.
There were 13 new fires in the Northwest Region by the late afternoon of July 18.
- Red Lake Fires 108 and 109 are new starts among 10 fires that are currently under observation in Woodland Caribou Park in the northwest corner of the region.
- Red Lake Fire 110 is located near Okanse Lake approximately 86 kilometres east of the community of Red Lake. The 15-hectare fire is currently not under control.
- Dryden Fire 23 is located on a large peninsula in Southwest Bay on Minnitaki Lake. The 0.1-hectare fire is not under control.
- Red Lake Fire 111 is located between Noble and Poirier Lake, approximately 80 kilometres northeast of Red Lake. The 0.2-hectare fire is currently not under control.
- Sioux Lookout Fire 78 is located on an island in the South Bay area of Lac Seul. This fire is under observation.
- Red Lake Fire 112 is located near the southern shore of Longlegged Lake approximately 58 kilometres west of Ear Falls. The 0.4-hectare fire is not under control.
- Kenora Fire 76 is located near Moose and Ord Lake. The 0.1-hectare fire is not under control.
- Kenora Fire 77 was spotted near Dowswell Lake near the southern border of Woodland Caribou Provincial Park. At 50 hectares, the fire was not under control. Nearby to the east, Kenora Fire 79 began on a peninsula on Rowdy Lake and has since spread to the mainland. The 40-hectare fire is not under control.
- Kenora Fire 78 is located on Big Black Island in southern island on Lake of the Woods. The 0.1 new fire start is not under control.
- Sioux Lookout Fire 79 is located within the Lac Seul First Nation near Bee Lake and Lower Grassy Bay. The 0.1-hectare fire is not under control.
- Red Lake Fire 113 is located near Nungesser Rd. by Naylor Lake. The one-hectare fire is not under control.
- Sioux Lookout Fire 80 is located approximately 34 kilometres south of the far north community of Wunnummin Lake. The three-hectare fire is under observation.
High temperatures and steady winds are raising the fire hazard across the region. Currently, the hazard is high across most of the region with pockets of extreme hazard in the Red Lake and district and the far north.
Kenora Fire 71, near the Manitoba border about 33 kilometres north of the community of Wabaseemoong (also known as Whitedog) has seen another day of aggressive growth due to some very receptive fuel types. Areas of dead standing pine have helped the fire claim approximately 3,000 hectares since its start on July 15. At the moment, 25 crews have been assigned to the fire and are trying to establish hoselines around the rear of the fire with support from waterbombers. An ignition team is looking for opportunities to tie the fire into natural boundaries.
Many of the crews on this particular fire are imported from Saskatchewan and Alberta as well as U.S. firefighters from the Great Lakes region. Twenty personnel from the Northwest Territories will arrive Thursday to help ease strain on resources.
At the moment, 23 crews and 60 support staff from the Northwest are deployed in the Northeast to assist with that region’s challenging forest fire situation.
At present there are 96 active fires in the region at various stages of control, 79 of which are either under observation, being held or under control.
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