THUNDER BAY – The Northwest Region is seeing the fire risk remain high to extreme. The major fire of note is Red Lake #14 which is near Pikangikum. Additional resources have been deployed to fight this fire which has grown over the past twenty-four hours.
June 1, 2019 – Time of Report 17:44
Northwest Region
There were no new forest fires in the Northwest Region by the late afternoon of June 1.
There were three active fires in the region at the time of this update, only one of which is not yet under control.
- Red Lake Fire 14 is located near the eastern boundary of Pikangikum First Nation and is now sized at 3,618.8 hectares. The fire is not yet under control. A total of 15 FireRanger crews with assistance from CL-415 Airtanker aircraft continue their work on the east and north flanks of the fire nearest the community. Values protection (sprinkler) efforts also continue at key infrastructure sites to the south of the fire and within the town site. Winds from the northwest continue to push the fire away from the community to the southeast and are helping to clear smoke from the populated area.
- Red Lake Fire 13 is located 23 kilometres south of Red Lake, just west of Dixie Lake. At 18 hectares, the fire is under control.
- Red Lake Fire 12 is located in Woodland Caribou Provincial Park, approximately 64 kilometres west of Red Lake. At 25 hectares, the fire is under control.
Fire hazard in the Northwest Region
The forest fire hazard in the Northwest Region ranges from high to extreme in the Red Lake and Dryden sectors. Kenora and Fort Frances are under a high hazard while Sioux Lookout, Thunder Bay and Nipigon sectors are a mix of moderate and high hazard conditions with a low hazard in the far northern reaches.
AFFES staff deployed to Alberta
Approximately 230 staff members from Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services are assisting the province of Alberta with its escalated fire situation. This includes FireRangers, support staff and one incident management team. In addition, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is providing equipment such as pumps, hose and hand tools to support Alberta.
More than 50 staff members from Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services have been deployed to assist the Yukon with current active forest fires. This includes FireRangers and support staff.
There are also an additional 2 support staff members from Ontario who have been deployed out of province, one to assist the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre in Winnipeg, and one to the Northwest Territories.
The sharing of resources across Canada is facilitated by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre in Winnipeg under the Mutual Aid Resource Sharing agreement.
The fire situation in Ontario has been relatively quiet since the beginning of the 2019 fire season, and we remain fully prepared to respond to any forest fires that may arise here at home.
Help prevent forest fires
Adopt safe campfire practices! Choose the site of your campfire carefully and keep your fire small. Stay nearby: never leave it unattended. Put your fire out by drowning it with water. Be sure that it is extinguished prior to leaving the site. Stir the ashes with a stick to uncover hot coals and then drown it again. You can never be too safe.
Consider alternatives to burning brush or yard waste, such as chipping or composting when possible, or saving burn piles for the fall or after the fire season. Use of outdoor fires must follow the outdoor burning rules set out in the Forest Fire Prevention Act of Ontario. Fires are to be started no sooner than two hours before sunset and extinguished no later than two hours after sunrise. Fires should never be left unattended and tools and water should be close at hand to put the fire out. More details on outdoor burning regulations can be found online at Ontario.ca/forestfire
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
