Fourteen forest fires burning in the northeast, five in Sudbury

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) identified three new forest fires in the Northeast Region since the last update by Sudbury.com, bringing the total number of active events to 14.

Five of these active forest fires are located within the Greater Sudbury district, three of which have been classified as under control and two as being held. 

Greater Sudbury Fire Services responded to two of these fires over the weekend alongside MNRF, Sudbury No.12, and No.14, in addition to numerous bush fires and reports of illegal burning. 

Around 50 per cent of Greater Sudbury's fire resources were utilized at the peak of these concurrent tasks, said Jesse Oshell, deputy fire chief, including between 20-25 apparatuses and around 45 firefighters. Response to Sudbury No. 12 and No.14 alone, required around 30 per cent of all local volunteer firefighters.

Teams were dispatched according to their geographic location, resulting in that of Lively, Whitefish, and Beaver Lake being assigned to Sudbury No. 14 in Worthington. Sudbury No. 12 in Levack, on the other hand, received support from Levack, Chelmsford, and Dowling. 

Moving forward, MNRF will be the only crew tending to Sudbury No. 12, said Oshell, due to the fire's challenging location in growing proximity to the Spanish River. With a larger pool of resources and tools specific to forest firefighting, he said the team is more than capable of managing any remaining hot spots. 

Oshell went on to explain that neither team works past sunset for the safety of all involved. There is a possibility that fire can spread under this policy, he said, but given the equipment at their disposal, options are limited. 

Crews are, therefore, forced to work in the heat of the day, which, in Saturday's case, Oshell likens to doing hard labour, covered in soot in the hottest sauna you could imagine. But despite these harsh working conditions, the deputy chief said no one shied away from getting right back to it Sunday morning. 

"This is exactly what we trained for, whether it's full-time or volunteer, our firefighters are trained and ready to respond and this day, although busy, was no different."

Working in conditions such as this, Greater Sudbury fire crews are used to looking out for each other and their health, he said, long before the pandemic began. Safety measures have been heightened even further given the current health crisis, he said, but its the public, who stands as the first line of defence in protecting front-line workers. 

"We know that some homeowners are burning. Many of them are following the burning bylaw, many still are not."

With conditions as dry as they are, Oshell said it wouldn't take more than a few embers to set a bush to flames. Today's rainfall may have improved this slightly, he said, but residents are to avoid falling into what he describes as a false sense of security. 

"This water isn't really going to soak into the ground too much, so still exercise caution. This is a good sign, but we need the public to help us, so we can continue to help them."

Whether this fire hazard and the ever-growing number of bush fires in the area will warrant a fire ban, Oshell couldn't say, but it's certainly not off the table. 

"The need to implement a fire ban is one that we take very seriously. We're monitoring daily and right now, I can't say if we will, but I couldn't tell you if we're going to continue without one either. As conditions change, so does the opportunity to have to put that back into place."

The forest fire hazard is currently moderate to extreme across the region, with the areas of most concern surrounding Pembroke, Gravenhurst, Elliot Lake, Mattawa and Powassan. 

MNRF declared the Thunder Bay and Dryden districts, as well as the eastern Fort Frances district and southern portions of Sioux Lookout and Nipigon districts a Restricted Fire Zone Saturday, due to the area’s high to extreme forest fire hazard rating. 

Until further notice, all outdoor fires in that zone are banned. Portable gas stoves may be used so long as they are handled with extreme care. 

New fires:

• Sault Ste. Marie No. 3: Reported May 23 at 7:58 p.m., 0.1 of a hectare in size, classified as being held;
• Timmins No.3: Reported May 23 at 6:47 p.m., 0.2 of a hectare in size, classified as under control;
• Bancroft No.3: Reported May 23 at 3:28 p.m. east of Baptiste Lake, 1.5 hectares in size, classified as under control

Active fires classified as under control:

• Sudbury No.9: Reported May 21 at 3:59 p.m., 11 hectares in size;
• Sudbury No. 12: Reported May 23 at 2:33 p.m. near First Avenue in Levack, 3.2 hectares in size;
• Sudbury No. 13: Reported May 23 at 5 p.m. today west of Alban, 0.9 of a hectare in size;
• Parry Sound No.5: Reported May 22 at 10:48 p.m., 0.1 of a hectare in size;
• Kirkland Lake No.1: Reported May 21 at 4:52 p.m., 15.8 hectares in size;
• North Bay No.6: Reported May 20 at 6:47 p.m., five hectares in size;
• Red Lake No.3: Reported May 19 at 3:37 p.m., 12.5 hectares in size;
• Red Lake No.2: Reported May 19 at 9:43 a.m., 0.4 of a hectare in size

Active fires being held:

• Sudbury No. 14: Reported May 23 at 6:30 p.m. north of Beaver Lake, 10 hectares in size; and
• Sudbury No. 15: Reported May 23 at 6:29 p.m. between the Highway 6 turnoff and Webbwood, 4.8 hectares in size

Active fires being observed:

• North Bay No.3: Reported May 18 at 2:41 p.m., 1 hectare in size

Fires in the Northwest region:

• Thunder Bay No.4: Reported May 13 at 1:11 p.m., 110 hectares in size, classified as under control; and
• Dryden No.6: Reported May 21 at 5:56 p.m., 32 hectares in size, classified as being held 

Find more information on Ontario’s forest fire situation and Restricted Fire Zones here.