Ten fires burn in the region. One near the Sault

NEWS RELEASE

MINISTRY OF
NATURAL RESOURCES

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Forest fire situation update - Northeast Region

There were eight new fires confirmed on July 23 in Sudbury and Chapleau Districts.

Sudbury 34 is being held at 1.0 hectare (ha) and is located in the La Cloche Provincial Park.

Sudbury 35 is not under control at 0.5 ha and is located east of La Cloche Provincial Park.

Sudbury 37 is being held at 0.4 ha and is located west of the Spanish River Provincial Park.

Sudbury 38 is not under control at 0.1 ha and is located in Spanish River Provincial Park.

Chapleau 11 is under control at 0.1 ha and is located along Wenebegon Lake.

Sudbury 31, 32, 33, 39, as well as Chapleau 12, are out.

By the time of this report, two fires were confirmed.

Sault Ste. Marie 4 is not under control at 0.1 ha and its located north of Gordon Lake.

Sudbury 40 is not under control at 0.4 ha and is located southeast of Spanish River Provincial Park.

No issues are anticipated.

Fire hazard

The fire hazard varies from low to high across the region, with the highest hazard being in the central portions of the region.

North of Sudbury to the James Bay area will see a mix of sun and cloud, while the rest of the region will be under sunny skies.

A lightning band has run through the region in the last two to three days.

This should create an influx of fire in the region that will keep Ontario FireRanger crews busy.

Regional synopsis

There are ten fires currently active.

To date this season, 107 fires have been confirmed, burning a total of 4,074.3 ha of land.

Out of province deployment

The resource sharing continues as Ontario has deployed personnel and equipment to British Columbia, Alberta and the Northwest Territories over the course of the week.

Tuesday's deployment included a total of 31 fire rangers and 16 overhead staff.

Additionally, two overhead staff have returned from British Columbia after completing their assignments, while two more will be returning this weekend.

To date, there are 593 personnel from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry on assignment in the Northwest Territories (125), Alberta (120), and British Columbia (348) to assist in their forest fire management efforts.

These personnel are from Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services bases across the province and are fire ranger crews, Incident Management Team (IMT) members as well as specialists in areas such as fire behaviour analysis, values protection crews, liaison and helicopter coordination.

In the Northwest Territories, there are 25 overhead staff and 100 fire rangers.

In British Columbia, there are 124 overhead staff and 224 fire rangers.

In Alberta, working for the province as well as Parks Canada, there are nine overhead staff and 111 fire rangers.

Crews are working long hours and will be returning home after fourteen to nineteen days on deployment.

This map shows the general location of Ontario resources on out-of-province assignments.

Be FireSmart!

Did you know? About 200,000 hectares of forest are burned each year and forest fires can cost millions of dollars to put out.

Often, unattended campfires are the cause.

If you're going camping and plan to have a campfire, please ensure you build a safe campfire.

Keep your campfire small, have water nearby and never leave it unattended.

Once you are finished, make sure your campfire is completely extinguished.

Under the Forest Fires Prevention Act (FFPA), if you start a wildfire, you could be held liable for the costs of suppressing the fire.

For tips on how to Be FireSmart and ensure your campfire is safe, visit here.

For more information about the current fire situation, visit here.

Report forest fires north of the French and Mattawa rivers by calling 310-FIRE (3473).

In southern regions, forest fires can be reported by calling your local fire department.

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