The forest fire risk in parts of the northeast has climbed to extreme as dry conditions make some areas of the region prime for burning.
The current forest fire hazard ranges from low to extreme across the region with an extreme hazard in Greater Sudbury and surrounding areas, as well as in the eastern portion of the province.
As of yesterday, five new fires were confirmed bringing the total number of fires burning in the northeast to 26.
The complete list of fires confirmed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is as follows:
- Algonquin Park 3 is not under control at 0.1 of a hectare
- Algonquin Park 4 is being held at 0.1 of a hectare
- Bancroft 7 is not under control at 0.1 of a hectare
- Parry Sound 19 is not under control at 0.8 or a hectare
- Wawa 4 is not under control at 0.1 of a hectare
- Bancroft 4 is under control at 5 hectares
- Bancroft 6 is under control at 0.2 of a hectare
- Chapleau 7 is not under control at 10 hectares
- Hearst 4 is under control at 475 hectares
- Hearst 5 is under control at 2574 hectares
- North Bay 13 is under control at 0.7 of a hectare
- North Bay 14 is under control at 0.1 of a hectare
- North Bay 15 is under control at 0.1 of a hectare
- Parry Sound 17 is being held 0.8 of a hectare
- Sault Ste. Marie 21 is being held at 1.2 hectares
- Sault Ste. Marie 22 is being held at 0.2 of a hectare
- Sault Ste. Marie 25 is under control at 0.3 of a hectare
- Sudbury 28 is being held at 7.1 hectares
- Sudbury 30 is under control at 0.3 of hectare
- Sudbury 31 is being held at 1.0 hectare
- Sudbury 33 is not under control at 10 hectares
- Sudbury 34 is not under control at 5 hectares
- Sudbury 35 is not under control at 85 hectares
- Timmins 5 is under control at 0.8 of a hectare
- Wawa 7 is under control at 294 hectares
- Midhurst 1 is not under control at 20 hectares
The ones to watch, MNRF said, are Sudbury 33 and Sudbury 35.
Sudbury 33 is burning 10 hectares of bush north of Lively. Waterbombers were on the scene Monday to suppress the fire and three ground crews continued to battle the fire yesterday. Although listed as not under control, MNRF doesn’t anticipate further issues with the blaze.
Residents in the area though will notice smoke as FireRangers work to extinguish the fire, the ministry said.
Sudbury 35 is a large 85-hectare fire burning north of Hagar. FireRangers and the Markstay-Warren Fire Department are tag-teaming this one. While firefighters are working to protect property as well, the ministry said there isn’t an imminent threat to structures at the moment and no structures have actually burned.
The ministry is asking the public to use caution when travelling in the area of the fire as fire crews and vehicles are scene and need room to manoeuvre.
Given the extreme hazard in some areas, Greater Sudbury and area in particular, CL-415 waterbombers are in use. The MNRF asks boaters to stick near the shore when they see bombers coming in to give them room to scoop.
Waterbombers often perform circuits when fighting a fire so more than one waterbomber could be scooping from the waterway in close intervals.
For information on forest fires and forest fire prevention, click here.
For the current fire situation and the active fires map, click here.
And to get the latest fire updates from Twitter, click here.
You can report a forest fire by calling 310-FIRE (3473).
