31 forest fires burning in the northeast, 2 remain out of control

As of Sunday evening, there were 31 active wildfires in northeastern Ontario with seven new fires confirmed since Thursday, one of which was confirmed Saturday.

Two fires are not under control, two being held, five are under control and 22 are being observed.

An undated photo of an Ontario CL215 aircraft belonging to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry’s Aviation and Forest Fire Management Branch and used for aerial fire suppression operations with the northern nights in the background. (Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services/X)

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Still burning out of control

One of the out-of-control fires is Kirkland Lake 5, located approximately five kilometres north of Stull Lake and five kilometres southeast of McKee Lake and approximately 80 kilometres west of Latchford, the forest fire was confirmed on Aug. 3.

"This fire is 889 hectares in size," said Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry’s (MNRF) Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services (AFFES) in their report at about 6 p.m. on Saturday.

“Fire ranger crews and helicopters with bucketing capabilities continue to work on this fire.”

Provincial officials said Kirkland Lake 5’s perimeter has been updated on the province’s interactive map.

Officials with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry continue to work on putting out Kirkland Lake 5, a forest fire burning near Temiskaming Shores. (Northeast Region Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services/Jean Quesnelle)

Also not under control as of Sunday morning is the Cochrane 34 fire that was confirmed Friday and is measuring 4 hectares.

The Hearst 11 fire, located approximately 12 kilomteres east of Little Kalsas Lake and 12 kilomteres northeast of Roche Lake, was confirmed Aug. 15. The fire measured 50 hectares and is being held as of Sunday evening.

Being observed

Chapleau 8, Hearst 10 and North Bay 11 along with 19 fires in the Cochrane district are being observed – with Cochrane 9 burning since June 2 and now measuring more than 6,000 hectares.

"Cochrane 9, is now being observed," said MNRF officials on social media earlier this season.

"Initially very active, it has seen many bouts of significant rain. This Far North fire is now being monitored to allow the natural ecological benefits of fire on the landscape."

Aerial view of Cochrane 9 in early June 2024. (Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry/X | Photo Credit: Chad Porter/Cochrane Fire Management Headquarters)

Other fires of note

Timmins 11 is now under control. This three-hectare wildfire, confirmed Aug. 15, is located on the west side of Chute Lake, approximately 0.6 kilometres east of Highway 144 and five kilometres northwest of Gogama. A fire crew and an air attack responded to the fire on Thursday while it was still not under control.

Cochrane 35, confirmed on Saturday, is located approximately two kilometres south of Stringer Lake, and 11 kilometres west of McParlon Lake.

“It is a 40 hectare fire and it’s being observed,” AFFES said in their Saturday evening update.

Fire hazard levels

The fire hazard is primarily low across the northeast region with some areas showing a moderate fire hazard, such as Parry Sound, Powassan and along the James Bay.

“An area northeast of Cochrane has a high fire hazard,” said the ministry in its update Saturday evening.

Interactive fire map

The MNRF’s interactive map visually shows active fires, current fire danger across Ontario and any restricted fire zones in effect with real-time updates as information becomes available.

The map can be viewed here.

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Reporting a wildland fire

To report a wildland fire located north of the French and Mattawa rivers, please dial 310-FIRE. To report a wildland fire located south of the French or Mattawa Rivers, please dial 911.