Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services release
Northwest Region
There were three new fires confirmed in the Northwest Region by the afternoon of August 24 and three new fires confirmed by day’s end on August 23 with about 137 active fires in the region at this time.
In the past few weeks there have been several hundred new starts in the NWR with intense fire activity, but fortunately aggressive fire management has helped maintain safety, particularly in the far north and minimized impact on northern communities.
Provincially the fire numbers and hectares burned have surpassed 2016 for this time of the season:
2017: Fires to date – 647; Hectares to date – 90,452
2016: Fires to date – 604; Hectares to date – 82,990
The 2017 numbers are still behind the 10 year average for fires to date (698) and 10 year average for hectares burned (103,999)
The forest fire hazard is moderate across the southern sectors of the region and high in the north.
Mop-up continues on Nipigon District Fire Number 099. Crews have been digging out hot spots on this fire with the use of hand tools, pumps, and heli-bucketing. There is a travel advisory in place to ensure firefighter and public safety. Individuals travelling the Camp 81 Road may encounter closures to some spur roads (e.g. Main Road 7) to ensure safety and support fire suppression. Recreational users may want to consider alternate routes like the Lachance or Gorge Creek roads instead.
A fire is being monitored on Lac Seul in the Sioux Lookout District. SLK123 is being managed under the Lac Seul Conservation Reserve Fire Response Plan to restore and maintain the ecosystem on the island. This fire is within the Lac Seul Islands Conservation Reserve and is not being extinguished in order to achieve the ecological benefits of natural fire on the landscape. Signs are posted on the island alerting the public to the fire situation and advising the public to keep a safe distance away from the island until the fire has been called out and all signs have been removed.
To track the fire hazards and to see a complete list of fires across the province click on our interactive map.
Provincial Resources
There are 17 personnel supporting Ontario in the firefighting effort with two from Quebec and 15 from the United States.
From Quebec, a fire behaviour analyst is deployed to the Northwest Region and a research scientist is joining an Incident Management Team preparing to deploy to British Columbia.
Also in Ontario as part of a Great Lakes Forest Fire Compact (GLFFC) agreement are 15 firefighters from the states of Michigan and Wisconsin. They have been assigned to a fire in northern Nipigon District in the Northwest Region.
There are 19 people from Ontario currently in British Columbia providing structural protection, fire investigation and public information services. There is also equipment including ten thousand lengths of hose, pump kits and two structural protection units. In addition to the support provided to BC, there is one person supporting the Canadian Interagency Fire Centre and one Helitorch unit in Quebec.
Additional resources are scheduled to deploy to British Columbia this week including three (21-person) Type 1 sustained action crews who are departing on August 24 along with an Agency Representative. On August 25 a Type 1 Incident Management Team will travel to BC along with two (4-person) Type 1 Initial Attack crews, overhead staff and structural values protection personnel.
In total an additional 101 people will be traveling west to assist British Columbia in its ongoing forest fire emergency.
