A total of 106 forest fires are burning across the northwest region. Eighteen are considered not under control.
There were eleven new fires reported yesterday.
Kenora 142 is under control at 0.1 hectares and is located near Maynard Lake, approximately 83 kilometres northeast of Kenora.
Kenora 143 is under control at 0.1 hectares and is located near Delaney Lake, approximately 50 kilometres northeast of Kenora.
Dryden 122 is not under control at 0.1 hectares and is located near Bluett Lake, approximately 28 kilometres northeast of Dryden.
Nipigon 75 is not under control at 0.5 hectares and is located south of Shesheeb Bay, approximately 43 kilometres south of Red Rock.
Fort Frances 138 is not under control at 3.5 hectares and is located near Nydia Lake, approximately 39 kilometres east of Atikokan.
Kenora 144 is being held at 0.4 hectares and is located near Alexander Lake, approximately 46 kilometres north of Kenora.
Fort Frances 139 is not under control at 0.1 hectares and is located on an island on Rainy Lake near Red Gut Bay, approximately 48 kilometres northeast of Fort Frances.
Nipigon 76 is not under control at 3 hectares and is located near Club Lake, approximately 34 kilometres northeast of Nakina.
Fort Frances 140 is not under control at 01 hectares and is located near Mooney Lake, approximately 33 kilometres west of Atikokan.
Fort Frances 141 is not under control at 0.1 hectares and is located near Disk Lake, approximately 25 kilometres east of Atikokan.
Kenora 145 is not under control at 0.5 hectares and is located near Toole Lake, approximately 99 kilometres northeast of Kenora.
Kenora 51, a significant fire of note, is currently 200,667 hectares in size and remains not under control.
Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry’s Information Officer Jonathan Scott says the forecast could play a role in the severity of the fires over the course of the week.
“Over the next few days, for instance, the southern portion of the northwest region, we’re going to have mainly sunny skies with some clouds, with winds out of the south,” says Scott. “Under those conditions, the fire hazard should be high to extreme for most of the region. There is some rain in the forecast later in the week. We’ll have to see if that materializes and where it occurs. Until then, the forest fire hazard will be high to extreme.”
So far, Ontario’s fire region has reported 1,096 fires this season.
That is nearly double last year’s total of 563 and more than 400 more than the ten-year average.
(With Files From Vasilios Bellos/99.9 The Bay)
