Timmins fire 41,210 hectares in size

Firefighters continue to work to bring a forest fire in the Timmins area, which has now reached 41,210 hectares in size, under control.

Hot, dry and windy conditions made firefighting efforts on the fire known as Timmins 9 difficult May 25.

Winds have switched direction, blowing from the northeast and have calmed from the conditions earlier this week, according to information from the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The fire tracked east in some areas of the eastern perimeter of the fire that day, and crossed Hwy. 144 near the Cache Campground area and the McKeown Creek recreation area on Kenogamissi Lake.

At this time, the fire is still roughly two kilometres south of Highway 101, and roughly 30 to 35 kilometres away from the City of Timmins, which has declared a state of emergency.

To date, an estimated 800 people have been evacuated from cottages, camps and campgrounds around Timmins.

“I want to emphasize that with the aggressive suppression effort, the City of Timmins is in no imminent danger,” Timmins Mayor Tom Laughren said in a statement on the city's website.

Just because the city has declared a state of emergency doesn't necessarily mean it will be evacuated, he said. However, he reminded citizens that they need to be prepared “if someone knocks on your door at 2 a.m.”

Another large fire, Kirkland Lake 8, is also threatening the community of Kirkland Lake.

Kirkland Lake 8 is currently 2,635 hectares in size. Several areas have been evacuated, and these evacuations remain in place, according to information from the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Strong winds contributed to the growth of the fire. Bulldozers, water bombers, helicopters and crews continue to fight the fire.

Posted by Heidi Ulrichsen