**MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND FORESTRY**

NORTHEAST REGION

Regional Fire Situation – July 19, 2018

It was an active day on the fireline today in the Northeast Region.

By the evening of July 19, there were 66 active forest fires across the Northeast, of these, 32 are not yet under control, 34 are either being held, under control or being observed.

There were 19 new starts in the region today.

A total of 19 fires were also declared out.

Several fires required aerial fire suppression in the Northeast:

Parry Sound 33 required support from CL415 waterbombers for most of the day. This fire, located in Henvey Inlet now covers 100 hectares and is not yet under control. Four crews are committed to this fire which has been creating a lot of smoke in the area. The fire information phone line received several calls noting smoke drift from as far as North Bay. It is expected that smoke will continue to be visible in the area tomorrow including from highway 69.

Sudbury 83 is located approximately 15 km north of Rayside-Balfour. It covers 3 hectares and is not yet under control. Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services is working collaboratively with the City of Greater Sudbury Fire Department to suppress this fire. Two CL415 waterbombers worked for several hours to reduce the intensity of the fire.

Sudbury 85 received aerial fire suppression as well today. It is located 45 km northeast of Elliot Lake and is 3 hectares in size. It is not under control at the time of this update.

The belly tanker helicopter that had been dropping water on Pembroke 5 yesterday was joined by three Twin Otters and a lead birddog aircraft this afternoon. The four lightning-caused Pembroke forest fires which were confirmed yesterday (Pembroke 5, 6, 7 and 8) are still not yet under control.

Incident Management Teams

Incident Management Teams (IMTs) are in place in the region. They are managing priority fires in 3 areas:

  • River Valley Cluster
  • Lake Temagami Cluster
  • Lady Evelyn Cluster

River Valley Fire Cluster:

This cluster includes two fires, North Bay 62 and North Bay 42.

On North Bay 42, helicopters with buckets supported ground crew efforts as the fire was active this afternoon under windy conditions. Some smoke was visible this afternoon as winds picked up.

On North Bay 62 Crews continued to work with pumps and hoses on the south, west and east sides of the fire today, extinguishing hotspots and strengthening perimeter extinguishment.

Temagami Fire Cluster:

There were two new fires within the Temagami cluster today, North Bay 109 and North Bay 112. Firefighters responded to North Bay 109 and were able to call it out at 0.1 hectares. North Bay 112 is not under control at 0.1 hectares. Due to the hard work of firefighters North Bay 14, 22, 54, 75, and 80 are also out.

North Bay 69, which previously caused the evacuation of twenty homes in the Temagami area, is now under control. Firefighters, are now focusing on working their way deep into the interior of the fire to check for hot spots.

Lady Evelyn Fire Cluster:

Heavy helicopters continued to bucket water onto North Bay 72 today, coordinating with crews on the ground. Fire behaviour was aggressive today with high temperatures, low relative humidity and gusty winds. Crews continue to establish hose line along the east and north perimeter of the fire. Smoke in the morning was significant in some areas due to an inversion, and later in the day with increased fire activity. There was minimal growth on the fire today and most was contained to natural boundaries.

Resources From Out of Province

  • Saskatchewan has provided one 20 person sustained attack crew, two safety officers, one agency representative, one radio operator, five additional support staff and an air tanker package.
  • Alberta has supplied fifteen 4 person initial attack fire crews, two additional 8 person crews, one 19 person Incident Management Team, two agency representatives, six division supervisors and 2 information officers and 9 additional support staff. There are also 3 air tanker packages in addition to fire suppression equipment such as pumps and hose.
  • British Columbia has supplied twenty 3 person initial attack crews, two 19 person sustained attack crews and 2 agency representatives.
  • Nova Scotia has supplied five 4 person initial attack crews, one safety officer and one agency representative.
  • Prince Edward Island has supplied a 4 person initial attack crew.
  • Newfoundland has supplied two 4 person initial attack crew.
  • Northwest Territories has supplied nine 4 person initial attack crews, two 3 person crews, an agency representative and 5 additional support staff.
  • Minnesota has supplied one air support group supervisor, a helibase manager trainee and a 20 person sustained attack crew.
  • Wisconsin has supplied one 8 person attack crews

Firefighting equipment

  • British Columbia has provided Ontario with 1,080 lengths of 1.5” hose, thirty power pumps with tool kits, thirty intake hose, 230 fuel containers, 200 backpack pumps and 200 axes.
  • Alberta has provided 960 lengths of 1.5” hose, fifty power pumps with tool kits, intake hose, fuel containers, as well as 100 additional fuel containers. They’ve also provided 201 shovels, fifty pulaskis and 30 chest coolers.
  • The Northwest Territories has sent 1,000 lengths of 1.5” hose to the province of Ontario.
  • Nova Scotia is sending 25 power pump kits, tool kits, intake hose and fuel container.

SMOKE CONCERNS

  • Parry Sound 33 continues to create a significant amount of smoke along Hwy 69, south of Grundy Lake Provincial Park this evening. Aerial fire suppression and ground crews were on site well into the evening. It is expected that this 100 hectare fire will continue to create smoke in the area tomorrow.
  • Smoke from active fires in the Northwest Region was drifting to many communities along the highway 11 corridor today.
  • Many Ontario residents have reported smoke drift in their communities. Smoky conditions are expected to continue when fires are active, until weather patterns change.
  • AFFES is reminding the public that if they do see flames or smoke, please report it, and stay away from the area in the interest of public safety.
  • If you have questions or concerns about smoke and your health, please contact Tele Health Ontario at 1-866-797-0000.

Temagami area information

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has been advised by the Municipality of Temagami that the evacuation alert has been lifted in Temagami, and that Fire Tower Road as well as the Fire Tower are now open.

Travel Restrictions

MNRF issued an Emergency Area Order (EAO) for parts of the North Bay District due to active fires around Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater, Lake Temagami and the North Bay District.

  • Please visit Ontario.ca/forestfire as this information is being updated regularly.
  • For information about these travel restrictions: 705-475-5546
  • For media inquiries contact: 705-564-6146
  • For inquiries by members of the public contact: 705-564-6165
  • For inquiries on highway closures: Call 5-1-1

FIRE NUMBERS AND ONLINE INFORMATION:

  • To report a forest fire located north of the French and Mattawa rivers, please dial 310-FIRE (3473)
  • To report a forest fire located south of the French or Mattawa rivers, please dial 911.
  • Follow us on Twitter: in English @ONForestFires or in French @ONFeuDeForêt
  • For up to date information on current fires in the province or to check the forest fire hazard in your area, visit Ontario.ca/forestfire

For guidelines on safe outdoor fire management ontario.ca/fireprevention

 

TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS IN PARTS OF KENORA DISTRICT DUE TO FOREST FIRES

Pursuant to the Emergency Area Order signed July 19, 2018, an Implementation Order has been issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forest prohibiting access in portions of Kenora District where there are public safety hazards as a result of increased fire activity from Kenora #071.  

The Order restricts travel, access and use in an identified area (see attached map below) and may be modified regularly to reflect changing fire conditions. 

This measure has been put in place to ensure public safety while allowing fire personnel to safely and effectively suppress the fires in the identified area.

All travel and use of the Werner Lake Road from the Manitoba border eastward to the end of the road is prohibited.  

All use and occupation of Crown land on or within 500 metres of the described closed roads above within this area is also prohibited.

If a member of the public believes that access within the restricted travel area is necessary for non-recreational purposes, please call 807-468-2501 to seek a travel authorization permit.  MNRF will review the request for access based on the rationale provided, local fire activity and the potential fire risk.

Please visit ontaro.ca/forestfire to view the current access restrictions and fire activity as this site is being updated regularly.

See the restricted travel and access areas on this PDF map (Note: this map gets updated regularly).

 

TRAVEL BAN IN PARTS OF NORTH BAY DISTRICT DUE TO FOREST FIRES

Pursuant to the Emergency Area Order signed July 12, 2018, an Implementation Order has been issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry prohibiting access in portions of North Bay, Sudbury and Kirkland Lake Districts where there are public safety hazards as a result of increased fire activity and where a restricted fire zone is in place (i.e. no campfires or open burning).

This Order restricts travel, access and use in an identified area (see attached map below) and may be modified regularly to reflect changing fire conditions.

This measure was put in place to protect the public and ensure public safety while allowing fire personnel to safely fight forest fires in the identified area.

All travel and use of McLaren’s Road, Gibbons Road, Baie-Jeanne Road, South Pardo Road, St. Joseph’s Road including George Gordon and Iron Lake Roads, Cooke Lake Road, Liskeard Lumber Road, Klock Lake Road, Roadhouse Tower Road, Mountain Lake Road, Goulard Road starting at Lower Goose Falls is prohibited.  In addition, use of the Red Squirrel Road beyond the Barmac Gate is prohibited.

All modes of travel/access into the closed backcountry parks (Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater, Obabika River, Makobe-Grays River, Solace and Sturgeon River Provincial Parks) and all Crown lands as outlined on the attached map is prohibited.

Crown land camping, boating, day-tripping, hiking, ATVing as well as accessing private or commercial camps and cottages are NOT permitted in the area covered by the Implementation.

Road blocks are set-up in specific locations to notify the public of the access restrictions.

If a public member believes that access within the restricted travel area is necessary for non-recreational purposes, please call 705-475-5546 to seek a travel authorization. MNRF will review the request for access based on the rationale provided, local fire activity and the potential fire risk.

Please visit Ontario.ca/forestfire to view the current access restrictions and fire activity as this site is being updated regularly.

See the restricted areas on this PDF map.  (Note: this map gets updated regularly.)

These restrictions will remain in effect until further notice.  Stay safe!

 

RESTRICTED FIRE ZONE DECLARED IN THE NORTHEAST REGION
Due to the extreme fire hazard, several recent periods of heavy lightning and the large number of wildfires burning, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has implemented a Restricted Fire Zone in some areas of Northeastern Ontario as outlined on the interactive fire map.

During a Restricted Fire Zone, the use of open fires – such as campfires, or burning of brush or debris, is restricted. Failure to comply could result in fines of up to $25,000 and three months in jail, as well as financial responsibility for the costs incurred in fighting a forest fire.

Portable gas or propane stoves are permitted for use for cooking or warmth, though they should be closely monitored. Portable charcoal BBQs and Hibachis are not permitted unless within 100 metres of a dwelling, or within an organized campground.

Commercial campground operators may allow their guests to enjoy campfires during a Restricted Fire Zone period provided they meet certain conditions.

The Restricted Fire Zone is a temporary measure to reduce the number of new human-caused wildfires as the Aviation Forest Fire and Emergency Services branch of the OMNRF expects the elevated forest fire hazard to continue into the foreseeable future.

The forest fire hazard is expected to be generally moderate to high across the Northeast tomorrow.