THUNDER BAY – The Wildfire season remains fairly stable and thankfully slow as the middle of July hits. There were no new fires confirmed by the afternoon of July 15.
The forest fire hazard is moderate to high in the south and high to extreme in the north.
Active fires in the Northwest Region include:
- Nipigon District Fire 023 is a lightning-caused fire listed at 960 hectares in size. It is being observed and is located about 30 kilometres west of Neskantaga First Nation in the far north.
- Nipigon District Fire 024 is a lightning-caused fire listed at 0.2 hectares in size. It is being observed and is located on an island in Nibinamik Lake, 29 km east of Wunnumin Lake First Nation.
- Red Lake District Fire 003 in Woodland Caribou Provincial Park is being observed at a size of 74,334 hectares.
- Sioux Lookout District Fire 014 is being observed. This lightning-caused fire is located in a remote location in the far north. Its current size is 38 hectares.
- Sioux Lookout District Fire 019 is being observed at 8.0 hectares. This lightning-caused fire is located north of Muskrat Dam Lake near the Morrison River.
The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Aviation Forest Fire and Emergency Services warns the public that flying UAV’s around forest fires is both dangerous and illegal.
When you fly a UAV near a forest fire you can put the lives of pilots, firefighters and other emergency workers at risk. The delays and distractions associated with having one of these aircraft in the area could also put the lives of the public and the safety of their homes at risk when forest fire suppression efforts are underway. Always think safety first and keep your UAV away from forest fires.
Check out ontario.ca/fireprevention for guidelines on safe outdoor fire management.
For more information about the current fire situation, and the active fires map go to ontario.ca/forestfire
The Northwest Region Fire Information Hotline is available for general information updates – 1-888-258-8842
Report forest fires by calling 310-FIRE (3473).