Fire ban declared in northern Ontario

An open-air fire ban declared by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry in the north due to extreme forest fire hazard went into effect at midnight.

A restricted fire zone has been declared as of June 1 at 12:01 a.m. for the following areas:

• Atikokan
• Blind River
• Bracebridge
• Chapleau
• Cochrane
• Dryden
• Far North, northwest and southeast portions
• Fort Francis
• Geraldton
• Hearst
• Ignace
• Kapuskasing
• Kenora
• Kirkland Lake
• Minden
• Nipigon
• North Bay
• Parry Sound
• Pembroke
• Peterborough/Bancroft district, northern portion
• Red Lake
• Sault Ste. Marie
• Sioux Lookout
• Sudbury
• Thunder Bay
• Timmins
• Wawa

"No open-air burning, including campfires, is permitted within the boundaries of a Restricted Fire Zone. Portable gas or propane stoves may be used for cooking and warmth BUT must be handled with extreme caution. All burning permits are suspended," the MNRF said.

Here is a full list of outdoor fire restrictions.

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Other northeastern communities have also issued municipal fire bans:

• Elliot Lake
• Hornepayne
• Killarney
• Muskoka

FOREST FIRES IN THE NORTHEAST

Three new forest fires were confirmed in the northeast Wednesday.

In the Timmins MNRF district, an 8.5-hectare fire began Wednesday night and is not under control.

One located about 25 kilometres northwest of Kirkland Lake and about two km east of Malloch Lake is being held at two hectares.

A one-hectare fire began in the Sudbury District on Wednesday night and is being held.

There are also three active fires in the northeast as of Thursday morning.

Both Wawa 2 and 3 are not yet under control. Wawa 2 remains at 105 hectares, while Wawa 3 is at 5,770.4 hectares.

A 45-hectare fire in the Cochrane District that started May 28 is being observed.

With the hot and dry conditions over the last week and the possible thunderstorms in the forecast, we could see more.

HIGHWAY 631 REOPENED

Highway 631, a critical road to the community of Hornepayne, reopened Wednesday just before 5 p.m.

Fire and smoke were causing visibility issues forcing the road to close