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

Liberal MP sides with Conservatives on failed motion to 'repeal all carbon taxes'
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's latest unsuccessful attempt to call on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to repeal his carbon pricing system has secured the support of one Liberal MP.
Canada-India tensions: How we got here and what's at stake
In the past month, Canada has accused the Indian government of being involved in a murder on Canadian soil and India has ordered Canada to remove most of its diplomats from the country. Here's how the two countries got to this point, as well as what's at stake if tensions don't ease.
Premier Wab Kinew: From rapper to reporter to Manitoba's top political office
Rap artist. Journalist. Economics student. Premier. Wab Kinew's path as a young man, including several brushes with the law and some convictions, did not appear a likely path to becoming the first First Nations premier of a province.
Here's how much it costs to raise children in Canada, according to new statistics
A new report from Statistics Canada estimates how much parents will spend on children over the course of their lifetime.
Rideau Hall apologizes for honouring Nazi veteran, Trudeau 'carefully' considering unsealing records
Rideau Hall is apologizing for the historic appointment of a man who fought for a Nazi unit in the Second World War, to the Order of Canada. Now, Gov. Gen. Mary Simon's office says it is examining two subsequent medals granted in the last two decades. This, as Jewish advocacy groups say the recent and resurfacing recognitions further make their case for the need to unseal Holocaust-related records.
Veterans' headstones vandalized in Fredericton cemetery
It’s been more than a week since a number of headstones in the veterans’ section of a Fredericton cemetery were vandalized and still no leads on who was behind it.
BREAKING Rail outage that stranded Via, GO Train, other passengers caused by software upgrade: CN
The massive outage on Canadian National Railway Co. lines that delayed thousands of Toronto-area commuters during the evening rush hour Tuesday can be traced to a software upgrade, the company says.
Canadian public libraries played an important role during the pandemic: report
A new report finds that Canadian public libraries were national assets in providing access to knowledge and health to communities during the pandemic, according to the Canadian Urban Institute and Canadian Urban Libraries Council.
Cloud of $20 bills causes disturbance in southeast Calgary
Some say it can't buy happiness while Pink Floyd says it's the root of all evil, but money did cause some excitement in a southeast Calgary neighbourhood Tuesday.