Sault Ste Marie – Wildfire Update – The Northeast Region reported no new wildland fires as of the evening of June 14, 2023, with a total of 24 active fires. Notable fires include Chapleau 3, a 3,916 hectare fire near October and Vichaw Lakes, and Cochrane 6 and 7, located near Lake Abitibi and Marathon Lake, covering 1,239 and 10,719 hectares respectively. Other significant fires include Kirkland Lake 5, Pembroke 1, Sudbury 10 and 17, and Timmins 7, all of which are not under control. Only Pembroke 1, a 43.7 hectare fire on Centennial Lake, and Wawa 3, a 6,678 hectare fire near Trent and Round Lakes, are reported to be under control and being held, respectively.
Fires of note:
- Chapleau 3 was confirmed on June 1. It is a 3,916 hectare wildland fire located 2 km south of October Lake and 2.5 km west of Vichaw Lake. It is not under control. This fire has seen minimal fire activity over the past couple days.
- Cochrane 6 was confirmed June 2. It is a 1,239 hectare wildland fire located 9 km west of Lake Abitibi and 1 km east of Marathon Lake. It is not under control. This fire is holding along cat guards, roads, and natural boundaries.
- Cochrane 7 was confirmed on June 2. It is a 10,719 hectare wildland fire is located northeast of Lake Abitibi and 7 km southwest of Joe Lake. It is not under control. Heavy equipment and helicopter bucket suppression efforts continue. The fire did receive some rain yesterday.
- Kirkland Lake 5 was confirmed on June 7. It is a 2,300 hectare wildland fire located north of Lady Evelyn Lake. It is not under control.
- Pembroke 1 was confirmed on June 4. It is a 43.7 hectare wildland fire located on the north peninsula on an island on the south side of Centennial Lake. It is under control.
- Sudbury 10 was confirmed on June 2. It has been remapped to 1,370 hectares and is located 3 km west of Fox Lake and 5 km east of Acheson Lake. It is not under control.
- Sudbury 17 was confirmed June 4. It is a 5,277 hectare wildland fire located 3 km west of Madawanson Lake and 0.5 km east of Pilot Lake. It is not under control. Four crews are on the ground and working the rear of the fire along with some heavy equipment.
- Sudbury 19 was confirmed on June 4. It has been remapped to 459 km. It is located south of Shakwa Lake and 1 km west of Lower Shakwa Lake. It is not under control.
- Timmins 7 was confirmed on June 4. It is a 149 hectare wildland fire located 0.3 km northeast of Ahsine Lake. It is not under control. Crews are working on the east flank of the fire.
- Wawa 3 was confirmed on May 27. It is a 6,678 hectare wildland fire located south of Trent Lake and Round Lake, and 5 km northwest of Duffy Lake. It is being held.
The fire hazard in the area between Marathon, Hearst, Smooth Rock Falls, and areas to the north ranges from moderate to high, while the rest of the Northeast Region has a low fire hazard. Due to the extreme fire hazard, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has declared a Restricted Fire Zone for several districts including Hearst/Cochrane/Kapuskasing, Chapleau/Wawa, Timmins/Kirkland Lake, and Sudbury among others. This restricts any open air burning, including campfires, with all burning permits suspended until further notice.
Although scattered rain has occurred in Ontario, the moisture is often accompanied by lightning which can ignite fires under the forest floor. These “holdover lightning fires” can appear up to a week later once weather conditions dry up and temperatures rebound. Fire management staff will be monitoring for these fires over the coming days. The Restricted Fire Zone, a temporary measure to eliminate preventable human-caused fires, is in place due to the extreme fire situation and hazard in Northern and Central Ontario. It applies to the entire fire region of Ontario until further notice.
To report a wildland fire, people are instructed to dial 310-FIRE for locations north of the French and Mattawa Rivers, and 911 for fires south of these rivers.
