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Current Fire Situation
More Information
May 17, 2012
Northeast Fire Region Restricted Fire Zone Order
Due to high to extreme fire hazard and increased forest fire activity, a Restricted Fire Zone Order will be in effect for the Northeast Fire Region, north of the French River from 0001 hours local daylight time on May 16, 2012 until such time as the order is revoked.
| Year | Fires | Hectares |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 to date | 128 | 121 |
| 10 year avg. (mean) | 156 | 3,995 |
| 2012 to date | 244 | 4,164 |
It was another active day for forest fires on Wednesday May 16. Eleven new fires were confirmed across Ontario. Most new starts were small and occurred in the Northwest Region. There are 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 on Wednesday. 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. A Type-2 Incident Management Team has been assigned to the fire and more crews are enroute. The communities of Westree, Morin Village, Ruel and Ostrom Mill remain evacuated. Of the approximately 125 evacuees, 83 are staying at Camp Gilla, a former logging camp. Highway 560 has now re-opened and Highway 560-A is being assessed this morning.
Provincial weather technicians expect warm and dry conditions across Ontario on Thursday May 17. Some new lightning fires could appear today due to recent thunderstorm activity. The provincial fire hazard remains high to extreme.
Resources in use include 46 helicopters, 12 CL-415/215 waterbombers, and two Twin Otter aircraft. Waterbombers from Quebec and Newfoundland are currently working in the province. FireRanger crews are being shifted between regions as needed.
A Restricted Fire Zone (RFZ) remains in place for the Northeast Region.
To report a forest fire in northern Ontario, call 310-FIRE 3473.
Northeast Region
Six new fires arrived in the Northeast Region on Tuesday 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 on-going 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.
Extreme fire behaviour and rapid spread potential is expected for Wednesday May 16. The degree of concern remains extreme across the region.
Northwest Region
Another day of warm temperatures, low relative humidity and high winds all across the region continue to keep the forest fire hazard at High to Extreme
There were 3 new fires today. Dryden fire 18, Sioux Lookout fires 15 and 16
DRY 18 is located west of Dryden in the English River Forest south of Sassafras Lake. This fire is currently 0.3ha and no problems are anticipated at this time.
SLK 15 is located just north of Highway 516 west of Holger Lake. This fire is 0.2ha and no problems are anticipated at this time.
SLK 16 is approximately 1 mile west of the Sioux Lookout Airport. This fire is approximately 5ha and air attack and ground crews are aggressively trying to get this fire under control
KEN 36 is located on Falcon Island on Lake of the Woods in the Kenora District. This fire was confirmed on May 15 and has grown to an estimated 150ha today. This fire is not threatening any values at this time. KEN 36 is receiving a full response by 3, CL-415 waterbombers as well as 2 FireRanger crews and more are FireRangers are on their way. This fire is burning diagonally across the island spreading in to the northwest because strong winds have pushed this fire out of the southeast all day. This fire is classed as Not Under Control and the cause of this fire is unknown at this time.
There are 12 active fires in northwestern Ontario.
The public can report forest fires all across Ontario by calling 310-FIRE (3473). This is a toll free emergency phone number available to the public. This phone number does not work with out of province cell phones or satellite phones, in which case call your local fire department. When you call to report a forest fire use the exact location of where the fire is, the condition of the fire, what is the fuel type (i.e. grass, conifer brush, deciduous forest), and the approximate size of the fire. Don’t wait until it’s too late – Report a forest fire!
For further forest fire prevention information check www.ontario.ca/fireprevention
To report forest fires call 310-FIRE (3473)
Contacts:
Northeast Region, AFFES
Lindsay Marks, Information Officer
705-564-6028
Northwest Region, AFFES
Heather Pridham, Information Officer
807-937-7375
AFFES Provincial Office
Mike Ward, Information Officer
705-945-6925
Related Links
Legend
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Current Restricted Fire Zones
The following zones are currently under a Restricted Fire Zone until further notice.
There may also be locally imposed fire bans. Please check with your Municipal Office or Fire Department.
Northeast Fire Region (12:01am May 16, 2012)
Due to high to extreme fire hazard and increased forest fire activity, a Restricted Fire Zone Order will be in effect for the Northeast Fire Region until such time as the order is revoked. See Restricted Fire Zones map.
Wawa Fume Kill (April 1, 2012 - October 31, 2012)
SCHEDULE "A"
In the geographic Townships of Chabanel, Corbiere, Esquega, Musquash, and McMurray, in the Territorial District of Algoma and Province of Ontario, containing 5325 hectares, more or less, being composed of those parts of the said townships designated as Part 1 on a plan of the Restricted Fire Zone for the Wawa Fume Kill Area and filed in the Office of the Surveyor General at the Ministry of Natural Resources in Peterborough, on the 30th day of April, 1998.
(see map)
Information provided as a basic indicator, check with your local MNR, Municipal Office of Fire Department for current conditions or restrictions.