With autumn on the horizon, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry firefighting crews and resources are deployed on fires in northwestern Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia.
The MNRF confirmed five new fires in the northwest on Thursday, after logging 11 new ones the day before.
It said the forest fire hazard remains high to extreme across much of the region, with high winds forecast to come in ahead of a storm system, creating the potential for more extreme fire behaviour.
On the positive side, Nipigon district fire 099 in the Kama Hill area has been declared under control. An incident management team posted there is in the process of demobilizing.
Nearly 110 MNRF personnel remain assigned to fire duty in British Columbia. The ministry is also supporting firefighting efforts in northern Manitoba with two CL-415 waterbombers and a birddog aircraft. Additional fire ranger crews were scheduled to travel to Manitoba on Friday.
Not all the fires in the northwest this summer have been accidental or caused by lightning.
The MNRF, in collaboration with Lac Seul First Nation, conducted a prescribed burn on three islands at Trout Lake in the Red Lake district.
According to a ministry news release "a lengthy fire return cycle and active suppression of fire over several decades has excluded natural or human-caused fire on the islands. This has resulted in reduced species diversity and forest health."
The MNRF said reintroducing fire will help to restore ecological integrity and provide suitable habitat to boreal species such as the Woodland Caribou.
Fire spread from the target islands was limited by areas of open water separating them from the mainland.
