THUNDER BAY – The forest fire situation has steadied a little with rain and cooler conditions. The major fire impacting Pikangikum First Nation has seen fire crews start to make progress in getting Red Lake #14 under control.
Forest Fire Situation Update Northwest Region – June 4, 2019 – Time of Report 17:09
There were two new fires in the Northwest Region by the early evening of June 4.
- Red Lake 16 was discovered approximately 21 kilometres northwest of Sandy Lake First Nation. It is being held at 0.2 hectares.
- Sioux Lookout 7 is located adjacent to Hwy. 599 approximately 131 kilometres north of Ignace. The 0.1 hectare fire is listed as not under control
There are four active fires in the region, two of which are listed as not under control, one is being held and one is under control.
Red Lake 14 near Pikangikum
Red Lake 14 near Pikangikum First Nation remains sized at 3,835 and is not yet under control. A total of 17 FireRanger crews and two local Type 2 sustained attack crews have been making progress on the areas of the fire closest to the community, thanks in part to weather that has resulted in low fire behavior. The fire did not grow in size over Monday. The area received just under 1 millimetre of rain in the past 24 hours. An incident management team assumed command of the fire, Tuesday.
Fire hazard in the Northwest Region
The fire hazard in the Northwest region is predominantly low to moderate across the region’s southern sectors including Kenora, Dryden Fort Frances and Thunder Bay and Nipigon owing to recent rains. High hazard conditions persist in far north portions of the Red Lake and Sioux Lookout sectors.
AFFES staff deployed out of province
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
