9 active wildfires in northeastern Ontario, highway closed again
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) is reporting nine active wildfires in northeastern Ontario on Monday.
"We are seeing a drying trend right now with weather being quite dry right now," said MNRF fire information officer Shayne McCool.
Smoke and flames seen from closed Highway 631 near White River. May 29/23 (Ontario Provincial Police)
He said there are 60 wildfires burning across Ontario.
Currently, the province is listed as high to extreme fire hazard, meaning fires can start and become out of control quickly.
Two of the active fires in northeastern Ontario are ranked as 'not under control' and are two of the larger fires located in the Wawa area.
"Wawa 2 is 105 hectares and not control at this time. Wawa 3 is 359 hectares and not under control at this time," McCool said.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Thick forest fire smoke seen from Highway 631 near White River. May 29/23 (Ontario Provincial Police)
He said the MNRF encourages people to take caution while enjoying the outdoors or while riding ATVs.
"Just be aware the fire hazard is high to extreme and a fire can be started really quickly," he said.
A full list of active wildfires can be found here.
HIGHWAY CLOSED
Wawa 2, which started May 26, closed Highway 631 from White River to Hornepayne for less than 24 hours due to extremely dangerous conditions. It reopened briefly around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday and reclosed around 2 p.m.
Thick smoke from an out of control forest fire hangs above Highway 631 near White River. May 29/23 (Ontario Provincial Police)
The forest fire is located 5.5 kilometres west of White river and south of Crocker's Lake.
The smoke from the fire is also causing reduced visibility on Highway 17 near Depew River, south of White River.
"The highway is open with officers on the scene monitoring the situation," OPP said on social media.
Wawa 3 started May 27 and is located within the Kakakiwibik Esker north of Highway 17. As of Monday night, it has grown to 800 hectares.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
BREAKING Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
'Violation': CSIS had officer investigated after she reported a superior raped her
A CSIS officer's allegations that she was raped repeatedly by a superior in agency vehicles set off a harassment inquiry, but also triggered an investigation into her that concluded the alleged attacks were a “misuse” of agency vehicles by the woman.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.