THUNDER BAY – There was one new forest fire confirmed by the afternoon of July 04.
- Nipigon Fire Number 6 has been declared out at 0.1 hectares and was located near the north end of Winisk Lake, approximately 20 kilometres north of Webequie First Nation.
Good progress has been made on yesterday’s forest fires in the Sioux Lookout district. Crews with the support of helicopters have been able to control several of these recent forest fires.
There are currently 26 active fires in the region. Eight are not under control, four are being held, six fires are under control, and eight fires are being observed.
Fires of Note
Red Lake Fire Number 23 is 12 kilometres southwest of the community of Keewaywin. This fire is currently 54,643 hectares in size. An incident management team is currently assessing the sprinkler requirements in the area. Aerial ignition opportunities will be looked at as well. Fire Crews and equipment are on-site in the community.
Red Fire Number 39 –The fire size is 11,986 hectares. This fire is being managed by an Incident Management Team as part of a larger cluster of fires. The fire is being assessed for aerial ignition opportunities and will be resourced with FireRanger crews. The fire is approximately six kilometres southwest of the community on the opposite side of the lake.
Red Lake Fire Number 40 is not under control at 6973 hectares and is located near Nungesser Lake, approximately 40 kilometres north of Red Lake. Air attack has been working on the fire for the entire day and crews are maintaining sprinkler set-ups on structures near the fire. Crews continue to reinforce control lines and dozer guards along the fire.
Red Lake 14 near Pikangikum and Red Lake 17
Red 14 near Pikangikum is under control at 3,835 hectares. Crews continue to search for hot spots identified through infrared scans.
Red 17 northeast of Trout Lake is under control at 6,507 hectares. Crews continue to re-enforce existing hose lines and extinguish hot spots identified by infrared scanning.
Fire hazard for the Northwest Region
The forest fire hazard is high to extreme across most of the Northwest Region, except for a small area running southwest to northeast through the middle of the region.
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)
- Follow us on Twitter: @OnForestFire
