Thunder Bay – Wildfire Update – There are 24 active wildfires in the district. There are out of control, 11 fires are under control and ten are being observed. Five fires were declared out on Thursday.
- Three new fires were discovered in the Northwest Region by the late afternoon of June 24.
- Fort Frances 48 is located near Moran’s Bay on Rainy River, approximately 19 kilometres east/northeast of Fort Frances. The 0.1 hectare fire is out.
- Thunder Bay 46 is located near Hwy. 11/17 at Pearl, approximately 47 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay. The 0.1 hectare fire is out.
- Dryden 46 is located south of Lake of Bays, approximately 60 kilometres north of Ignace. The 0.3 hectare fire is not under control.
- An additional fire was discovered in the evening hours of June 23, following the previous update.
- Dryden 45 was located near Hwy. 17, approximately 45 kilometres east of Ignace. The fire has been called out at 0.2 hectares.
- The wildland fire hazard ranges from high to extreme in portions of the Kenora, Red Lake, Dryden and Thunder Bay sectors. Moderate to low hazard prevails through most of the Fort Frances, Sioux Lookout, Dryden, Thunder Bay and Nipigon sectors.
- To see the fire hazard near you, consult the interactive fire map at Ontario.ca/forestfire
Fires of Note - Fort Frances 47 originated on June 23, approximately 3 kilometres northwest of the community of Naicatchewenin First Nation, also known as Northwest Bay.
- The fire has increased in size to 430 hectares and remains not under control.
- The fire is burning away from the community, which is not under threat at this time.
- Waterbombers were used to reduce fire intensity on Thursday afternoon.
- Overnight precipitation and lower wind speeds reduced fire behaviour on Fort Frances 47 on Thursday.
Sioux Lookout 17
- Located approximately 88 kilometres north of Sioux Lookout, high winds and extreme fire behaviour expanded this fire’s footprint to 1000 hectares, Wednesday.
- Overnight rain, lower wind speeds and higher relative humidity values have reduced fire behaviour today.
Follow Ontario’s Outdoor Burning Regulations
Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services would like to remind the public to use caution when performing any outdoor burning. In order to dispose of yard waste and woody debris, we encourage you to use methods such as composting or using your local landfill. If you must burn, follow Ontario’s outdoor burning regulations.
Fires are to be ignited no sooner than 2 hours before sunset and extinguished no later than 2 hours after sunrise.
Always have tools/water adequate to contain the fire at the site.
