Nine new forest fires have been found in the Greater Sudbury area by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), bringing the total number of active events in the district to 10.
The majority of those active fires were found Saturday, north of Espanola near Highway 144 in the Gogama area, said Jesse Oshell, Greater Sudbury Fire Services (GSFS) deputy fire chief in an interview with Sudbury.com.
There were also three more forest fires found near the Nickel City in Parry Sound and Chapleau.
Because of this distance from the city-core and wooded area in which they are located, they are being managed by MNRF, said Oshell, but GSFS is still keeping a close eye on local conditions.
The fire hazard remains extreme in Greater Sudbury, which he said is due in part to moisture levels of forested areas, forest beds, and air, as well as the 4-14 day weather forecast.
Oshell said that promise of rain could improve that rating, but being accompanied by the chance of thunderstorm introduces a new risk altogether.
“We are concerned about the repeated thunderstorm warnings that we are getting,” he said.
Reports in these instances can come days after a lightning storm once a small ember has had a chance to grow in a rural area to a noticeable size, keeping crews on eggshells long-after a storm.
Just this past Thursday, Oshell said lightning struck a tree in the west-end, causing it to catch fire. But thankfully, it was extinguished by the storm’s rainfall.
Despite this risk and the district’s fire hazard rating, the deputy fire chief said that as of Friday, the MNRF expressed no intention of reinstituting a local fire ban.
New forest fires in the area are as follows:
- Sudbury No. 39: Found on July 4 at 4:12 p.m., and is considered not under control at a size yet to be determined.
- Sudbury No. 38: Found on July 4 at 4:02 p.m., and is considered not under control at 0.6 of a hectare.
- Sudbury No. 37: Found on July 4 at 3:18 p.m., and is considered not under control at 0.2 of a hectare.
- Sudbury No. 36: Found on July 4 at 3:11 p.m., and is considered not under control at 0.3 of a hectare.
- Sudbury No. 35: Found on July 4 at 2:10 p.m., and is considered not under control at 0.1 of a hectare.
- Sudbury No. 32: Found on July 3 at 6:36 p.m., and is considered not under control at 1.1 hectares.
- Sudbury No. 31: Found on July 3 at 6 p.m., and is being held at 0.6 of a hectare.
- Sudbury No. 30: Found on July 3 at 5:03 p.m., and is considered under control at 0.7 of a hectare.
- Sudbury No. 29: Found on July 3 at 3:25 p.m. west of Spanish River Provincial Park, and is considered under control at 0.1 of a hectare.
- Parry Sound No. 13: Found on July 3 at 7:18 p.m., and is being held at 0.3 of a hectare.
- Parry Sound No. 12: Found on July 3 at 5:47 p.m, and is considered under control at one hectare.
- Chapleau No. 3: Found on July 3 at 4:48 p.m., and is considered not under control at 9 hectares.
Active forest fires identified in previous postings are as follows:
- Sudbury No. 28: Found July 2 at 3:38 p.m. near Millerd Lake, and is considered under control at 1.2 hectares.
- North Bay No. 16: Found on July 2 at 5 p.m., and is considered under control at one hectare.
- Kirkland Lake No. 1: Found May 21 at 4:52 p.m., and is being observed at 15.8 hectares.
More information on the forest fire situation in the province is available online at Ontario.ca/forest-fire.
