THUNDER BAY – Smoke from forest fires near Red Lake are impacting air quality across the region. Skies in Thunder Bay are showing signs of the smoke with the sun peeking out from a red look this morning to an orange colour this afternoon and evening.
There were no new forest fires confirmed by the afternoon of July 06.
There are currently 18 active fires in the region. Four are not under control, two are being held, four fires are under control, and eight fires are being observed.
Fires of Note
Red Lake Fire Number 23 is 8 kilometres south of the community of Keewaywin. This fire is currently 71,993 hectares in size. The incident management team is established in Sandy Lake First Nation. Fire Ranger crews have been placing sprinklers around the community. Aerial ignition opportunities will be looked at as well. Winds were light and out of the west today causing the fire to spread towards the east.
Red Fire Number 39 –The fire grew to 40,439 hectares yesterday. This fire is being managed by an incident management team as part of a larger cluster of fires. The incident management team is looking for aerial ignition opportunities to tie the fire into natural boundaries and assessing sprinkler set-up requirements in the area. 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 23,737 hectares and is located near Nungesser Lake, approximately 40 kilometres north of Red Lake. Sprinkler set-ups on structures and dozer line construction continue on this fire. Crews continue to reinforce control lines and dozer guards along the fire.
Smoke Drift
Smoke drift from forest fires in the Red Lake district and Manitoba will be visible today across the southern portion of the Northwest Region. If you have questions or concerns about smoke and your health, please contact TeleHealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000.
Fire hazard for the Northwest Region
The forest fire hazard is predominantly high with areas of extreme hazard in the northern portions of Red Lake and Sioux Lookout districts. There is an area of moderate hazard in the southwest of the region.
