For the first time in a month, the Ministry of Natural Resources has announced that there are no new wildland fires in northwestern Ontario.
The last time there were no new fires reported was on June 22nd.
Currently, there are still 139 active fires, with 30 classified as not under control.
Six of these are being held, while 12 have been declared as under control.
Ninety-one fires are being monitored without any fire suppression efforts being made.
The MNR notes that progress is being made on the largest fire located within Wabikimi Provincial Park.
Heavy equipment operators have successfully built fire guards to help stop the fire from spreading, while firefighting teams work on establishing hose lines.
Helicopters are assisting by dropping water on hotspots.
Similar operations are happening around the Lac Des Mille Lac area, which has been remapped and is now listed at covering 51,806 hectares.
Ontario Fire Rangers are getting support from firefighters coming from Alberta for this blaze.
A fire that has caused part of Quetico Provincial Park to close is still not under control; however, there has been no increase in its size reported by the Ministry.
A smaller fire just outside Quetico’s northern boundary near Crystal Lake that led to a temporary closure of Highway 11 earlier this month is now considered extinguished.
The fire that prompted an evacuation order for Cat Lake First Nation continues to burn actively.
It is currently estimated at 23,597 hectares in size.
Ten Fire Ranger crews have been tackling this fire with helicopter support focused on hotspots.
Other fires burning around the Brightsand area remain out of control but show no signs of expanding.
Randy Thoms is a veteran news broadcaster with over 40 years’ experience. He is based in Fort Frances and covers stories across northwestern Ontario. Contact Randy at thoms. randy@radioabl. ca.
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