The Ministry of Natural Resources wildland firefighters are starting to see some relief in their workload.
On Thursday, there were only 5 new fires reported, with four of them located east of Thunder Bay.
Nipigon 63 (NIP063) is a small fire measuring 0.1 hectares near the northwest end of Onaman Lake.
Nipigon 64 (NIP064) covers four hectares and is situated about seven kilometres northeast of Jobrin Lake.
Nipigon 65 (NIP065), also at four hectares, can be found approximately nine kilometres northeast of Kagianagami Lake.
Another small fire, Nipigon 66 (NIP066), is located around 9.3 kilometres south of Highway 11 and southeast of Gort Lake.
The other new fire, Kenora 18 (KEN018), is on an island at the north end of Lake of the Woods.
As of Thursday night, all these new blazes were reported as not being under control.
Currently, there are still 129 active fires, which is nearly 10 fewer than on Wednesday.
There are now 62 classified fires, down by one from the previous day.
The fire near Lac Des Mille Lac continues to be a top priority for firefighting efforts.
Cooler temperatures and gentle winds have helped to slow its spread; however, it remains just a few kilometers away from Highways 11 and 17.
According to the MNR, this fire is generating a significant amount of smoke that complicates aerial firefighting efforts.
The blaze extends from about five kilometers southwest of the Trans-Canada Highway up to Fork Lake, roughly six kilometers north of Highway 11.
“Priorities remain firefighter safety, public safety and the protection of critical infrastructure,” states Chris Marchand, MNR Fire Information Officer, in an email to Acadia News.
“As fire conditions change, crews may be repositioned or temporarily withdrawn from areas where fire behaviour presents a safety risk. Where direct suppression is not feasible, resources may be focused on protecting communities and critical infrastructure through defensive strategies.”
Other large fires in northwestern Ontario include one burning within Quetico Provincial Park that has grown to cover more than 48-thousand hectares.
A separate fire in the Turtle River-White Otter Lake Provincial Park area has merged with another and now spans over 1,700 hectares.
There’s also a merged fire north of Saugeen First Nation that measures around 7,944 hectares in size.
The MNR has been using aerial firefighting methods to help slow its spread.
Four fires that combined earlier this week within Wabikimi Provincial Park have burned more than 350,000 hectares together.
According to the MNR crews are concentrating on establishing a perimeter around these flames as part of their suppression strategy.
Fire hazard levels are expected to stay high to extreme across the region for the next few days ahead.
The forecast does suggest some rain might provide relief over the weekend.
A Restricted Fire Zone remains active , banning campfires and other outdoor burning , while localized bans exist in several municipalities. 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. View all posts
Source link
The forecast does suggest some rain might provide relief over the weekend.
A Restricted Fire Zone remains active , banning campfires and other outdoor burning , while localized bans exist in several municipalities. 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. View all posts
Source link
