36 forest fires burning in the northeast, 3 out of control

As of Sunday morning, there were 36 active wildfires in northeastern Ontario with two new fires confirmed on Saturday – one of which is already out – and one confirmed Sunday morning. Three fires are not under control, two are being held, nine are under control and 22 are being observed.

An Ontario fire ranger wearing a hose pack walks through a forested area in this undated photo.(Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services/X)

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Still burning out of control

The out-of-control fire 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,” Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry’s (MNRF) Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services (AFFES) in their report at about 6:30 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)

Wawa 13, located approximately 13 kilometres east of Negwazu Lake and 18 kilometres north of Highway 519, now measures 29.5 hectares. The forest fire was confirmed on August 21 and continues to receive fire aerial support.

Newly confirmed North Bay 16 is also not under control. The fire measures 0.2 hectares as the time of this publication and is located on the shores of Net Lake north of Temagami.

Other fires of note

After increase fire activity last week, Timmins 16, located south of Bigwater Lake, approximately 10 kilometres north of Timmins and 0.2 kilometres west of Highway 655, is now under control. When the now 3.1-hectare fire was confirmed on Wednesday, it received a joint response with the municipality’s local fire services along with MNRF crews actioning the fire in addition to aerial fire suppression support.

Following Timmins 16’s increased activity waterbombers assisted in suppressing the fire.

Wawa 14, located approximately 21.6 kilometres southeast of Marathon, was confirmed on Saturday. The 0.1 hectare fire is now under control after a fire crew battled it Saturday.

North Bay 15 was also confirmed on Saturday but is now out. The fire was located on the east side of Sucker Gut Lake within Obabika River Provincial Park, approximately 33.5 kilometres west of Latchford and had burned 0.2 hectares. AFFES had committed a fire ranger crew to North Bay 15 on Saturday.

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)

Fire hazard levels

The fire hazard ranges from low to high across the northeast region, according to the ministry’s update Saturday evening.

“The fire hazard is low for areas along the Highway 11 corridor east of Hawk Junction to Dana-Jowsey Lakes and for the central portion of the Highway 144 corridor. There are spots of low fire hazard east of Iroquois Falls, between Latchford and Temiskaming Shores, and between Desbarats and Dayton,” reads the update.

“The fire hazard is high for areas around Blind River and Elliot Lake through to French River, Powassan, Parry Sound and McCrae Lake. The fire hazard is also high for Hearst going north to James Bay and the Quebec border.”

The rest of the region is seeing a moderate fire hazard rating.

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.