Update from the MNRF issued at 5:45 pm:
Late afternoon on August 14, there are 45 active forest fires across the Northeast. Of these, 9 are not yet under control, 36 are either being held, under control or being observed.
There were six new fires confirmed today, at the time of this update:
- Parry Sound 43, covers 1.5 hectares and is located approximately 5 km southeast of Point au Baril.
- North Bay 122 measures 0.8 of a hectare and is located less than 1 km south of Kidney Lake, on the east side of Hwy 64, near Temagami River Provincial Park.
- Chapleau 19 is located on the south end of the Mississagi River Provincial Park border. It is being held at 0.1 of a hectare.
- Sudbury 109 covers 1.5 hectares and is located approximately 20 km northwest of Lake Wanapitei.
- Sudbury 110 measures 0.2 of a hectare and is located approximately 25 km northwest of Lake Wanapitei.
- Sudbury 111 measures 0.2 of a hectare and is located approximately 7 km southeast of Burwash.
Original:
Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services
Special Media Update
Northeast Fire Region
August 14, 2018
Time of Report 8:30am
Situation Update:
- On the morning of August 14, there are 40 active forest fires across the Northeast. Of these, 5 are not yet under control, 35 are either being held, under control or being observed.
- There were no new fires confirmed yesterday and one fire extinguished.
Incident Management Teams
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Incident Management Teams (IMTs) are in place in the region. They are managing priority fires in the following areas:
- Lady Evelyn Cluster
- Parry Sound 33
Lady Evelyn Fire Cluster
· North Bay Fire 072 has not grown in size and remains at 27, 285 ha and is listed as Being Held.
· Crews continue to remove equipment no longer required for suppression activities
· Smokes on the interior of the fire continue to be found and extinguished
· Helicopter bucketing is also supporting ground crews.
· To find a detailed map of current travel restrictions visit Ontario.ca/forestfire.
Parry Sound 33
· There was no growth on the fire yesterday; it remains at 11,362 hectares.
· Local residents will continue to see smoke drift from this fire over the next 2 or 3 days as weather conditions remain hot and dry.
· Ground crews continue to extinguish hot spots within the fire perimeter and will continue moving to priority areas to search for additional hot spots
· For updates on highway conditions, including closures, please call 511.
- For information about the fire situation: 1-888-220-7242
- For media inquiries: 705-564-6156
- For inquiries about French River Provincial Park restrictions: 705-857-1630 ext. 224
- For Parry Sound District information, including calls related travel restrictions or to the recommendation of these evacuations and alerts, call 1-888-220-7242
- For Sudbury District information, including calls related to travel restrictions or to the recommendation of evacuation alerts, call 1-888-220-7242
Resources From Out of Province
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Ontario is receiving support from across Canada, the United States and Mexico to assist with the fire situation. A total of 307 firefighters and support staff are currently in the province.
- Alberta is providing personnel and equipment.
- British Columbia is providing equipment.
- Newfoundland is providing personnel and equipment.
- Northwest Territories is providing personnel and equipment.
- Nova Scotia is providing equipment.
- New Brunswick is providing personnel.
- Saskatchewan is providing personnel and equipment.
- Quebec is providing personnel and aircraft.
- Prince Edward Island is providing personnel
- Wisconsin, USA, is providing personnel.
- Mexico is providing personnel.
- Parks Canada is providing personnel.
Restricted Fire Zone in Effect
Due to recent precipitation and good progress being made in containing existing forest fires, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has removed the Restricted Fire Zone for some areas of the Northeast Region effective 12:00pm(noon) August 10. The zones still affected include areas north of Rosseau, northwest to Espanola and Cartier, over to the Quebec border including Temagami and Mattawa north of the Mattawa River. This includes Parry Sound, Burk’s Falls, Powassan, North Bay and Greater Sudbury. For a visual representation of the affected areas please visit our interactive map Ontario.ca/forestfire.
If you live in an area outside the adjusted Restricted Fire Zone, be sure before you burn to check with your local municipality to ensure there’s no fire ban issued in your area. We’d also like to remind the public to take extra care when having a campfire and to follow the safety tips listed at Ontario.ca/forestfire.
Travel Restrictions Still in Place for Some Areas of the Northeast
In order to ensure MNRF and emergency officials are able to continue fire suppression operations in areas affected by large forest fires, travel restrictions remain in place near the Parry Sound 33, North Bay 72 and Pembroke 6 forest fires. These restrictions are in place to ensure public safety and the safety of emergency personnel working in the affected areas. Although some restrictions have been removed, others remain in place. For information on travel restrictions and travel permits, please call 1-888-220-7242. For a visual representation of the affected areas please visit Ontario.ca/forestfire.
Smoke concerns
· Smoke drift from large fires in British Columbia and the United States may be evident until weather patterns change.
· For information about the impacts smoke on your health please contact Teleheath Ontario at 1-866-797-0000.
· AFFES is reminding the public that if they do see flames or smoke, please report it by calling 310-Fire(3473), and stay away from the area in the interest of public safety.
Fire numbers and online information
- To report a forest fire located north of the French and Mattawa rivers, please dial 310-FIRE
- To report a forest fire located south of the French or Mattawa rivers, please dial 911.
- Follow us on Twitter: @ONForestFires / @ONFeudeforêt
Prepared by Shayne McCool
