THUNDER BAY – There were two new fires in the Northwest Region by the late afternoon of June 12.
- Sioux Lookout 9 is located approximately 56 kilometres south of Pickle Lake near the southern shore of East Pashkokogan Lake. The fire is not under control at 0.2 hectares.
- Kenora 29 is located approximately eight kilometres west of Willard Lake south of the Trans-Canada Hwy. It is not under control at 0.1 hectares.
At present, there are six active fires in the Northwest Region, four of which are not under control, one fire is being held, one is under control and one is being observed.
Sioux Lookout 8 near Pickle Lake
Sioux Lookout 8 near Pickle Lake remains at 824 hectares in size and is not under control. A total of 13 crews continue to make good progress working towards the interior of the fire identifying and extinguishing hot spots.
Red Lake 14 near Pikangikum and Red Lake 17
Red Lake 14 near Pikangikum is being held at 3,835 hectares while 15 crews work with hand tools to extinguish hot spots with helicopter bucket support. Red Lake 17 is located 78 kilometres to the southeast of Pikangikum and is 6,845 hectares in size and not under control. A total of 15 crews are working to establish hose lines in key sections of the fire.
Fire hazard for the Northwest Region
The fire hazard is mainly moderate to low throughout the Northwest Region, with the exception of some high hazard conditions in the western portion of the Red Lake sector.
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
Report prepared by Chris Marchand
