Fire Updates: 10 New Fires Confirmed, Including Hearst 4 and Chapleau 6, With Heavy Smoke Conditions Persisting
Sudbury – WILDFIRE UPDATE – The Northeast Region continues to grapple with heavy smoke conditions as a result of numerous fires raging in eastern Ontario and Quebec. The smoke drift has extended as far as north of Timmins, sweeping through Sudbury and reaching Parry Sound.
To stay informed about the smoke forecasts in your area, visit www.firesmoke.ca. For health-related concerns related to the smoke, contact Ontario Health at 811 or 1-866-797-0007.
If you spot smoke and are unsure whether to report it, a general rule of thumb is to call 310-FIRE if you’re located north of the French and Mattawa Rivers (or 911 if you’re south of these rivers). Alternatively, you can consult the interactive fire map or the aforementioned smoke-related websites to determine if the sighting is related to drifting heavy smoke.
Ten New Fires on Sunday
In the latest fire update, ten new fires have been confirmed in the Northeast Region as of early Sunday evening. These fires are currently not under control, posing ongoing challenges for fire management.
Among the newly identified fires is Hearst 4, covering an area of 12 hectares and located east of RR 583 near the village of Mead. Chapleau 6 spans 210 hectares and is situated approximately 48 km northwest of Chapleau, in close proximity to the southern point of Missinaibi Provincial Park.
Additionally, North Bay 4, measuring 0.3 hectares, ignited late in the evening on June 3 and is located west of Obabika Lake in Obabika River Provincial Park. Sault Ste Marie 3, with an area of 2.8 hectares, also started on June 3 and is situated approximately 15 km west of Elliot Lake and 0.5 km south of Matinenda Lake.
Sudbury District has experienced several small fire starts, including Sudbury 16, 18, 19, and 20, which are all 1 hectare or less and located west of Spanish River Provincial Park. Sudbury 15 covers 5 hectares and is situated in the far eastern part of La Cloche Provincial Park. Sudbury 17 spans 150 hectares and is located approximately 2 km west of RR 810, around 25 km east of Mississagi Provincial Park.
At present, the Northeast Region faces a total of 30 active wildland fires. Of these, 24 are not yet under control, while one fire is being held, another is being observed, and four are under control. Efforts by fire management teams have successfully extinguished nine fires in the past 24 hours.
Notably, Cochrane 3 remains at 80 hectares and is still not under control. An Implementation Order has been imposed to restrict travel in areas affected by active fire and fire suppression. Wawa 3, covering 6,810 hectares, continues to be a concern, with ongoing fire suppression operations supported by 5 helicopters and 12 FireRanger crews.
To inquire about the Wawa 3 fire, contact Maurice Lecours, Fire Information Officer, at 705-856-4735. For information regarding lost structures, reach out to the District Information Officer, Tim Mutter, at 705-864-3139.
Due to the persisting extreme forest fire hazard, a Restricted Fire Zone has been declared for various districts, including Hearst/Cochrane/Kapuskasing, Chapleau/Wawa, Timmins/Kirkland Lake, Sault Ste Marie/Blind River, Sudbury, North Bay,
