Fire hazard remains high

May 16 was another active day for forest fires in the province.

Eleven new fires were confirmed across Ontario. Most new starts were small and occurred in the Northwest Region, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources. As of May 17, There were 26 active fires in the province, nine of which are listed as not under control.

FireRangers continued to work on priority fires in the Northeast Region. Fire Kirkland Lake 5, located west of Larder Lake, was upgraded to being held. The Timmins 5 fire, near the west end of Timmins, went from being held to under control.

Fire Timmins 7 had quieter behaviour, but remains not under control at 412 hectares. The communities of Westree, Morin Village, Ruel and Ostrom Mill remain evacuated.

Provincial weather technicians expect warm and dry conditions across Ontario May 17, and some new lightning fires could appear due to recent thunderstorm activity. The provincial fire hazard remains high to extreme.

Six new fires arrived in the Northeast Region on May 15. FireRangers moved quickly on these new starts and continued work on existing fires. Crews made good progress on many fires within the region. New starts were confirmed in the districts of Parry Sound (1), Hearst (1), Kirkland Lake (2) and North Bay (2). Three of the fires have already been extinguished.

Significant resources were used on the ongoing priority fires. Two CL-415 and two Twin Otters spent the afternoon dropping water on the Timmins 7 fire. The fire was active again and demonstrated intense behaviour.

Crews had to be pulled off both the Timmins 7 and Chapleau 8 fires for a time due to extreme thunderstorms and tornado activity. Fire Kirkland Lake 5 was quieter and crews were able to make progress. Highway 66 in the area was re-opened.

Posted by Arron Pickard