Laurentian Trail fire burning out of control

A fire on the side of a mountain near Goulais River is proving difficult to fight, says Initial Attack Fire Boss Kevin Shaw.

The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) has had crews on the ground and in the air to fight the fire since it was spotted by recreational trail users on Saturday.

They reported it to the Goulais River Fire Department who then called in the MNR.

Shaw says the MNR has determined the fire is human-caused but is still investigating it.

Just over 100 hectares of land is currently involved in the fire, most of which is on a very rocky and jagged slope.

This means it's impossible to get water to the fire from ground level.

Ground crews are fighting the fire with hand equipment only and it's tough going on the steep mountainside.

"Our pumps just won't pump water up that [steep of a grade]," said Shaw today. "That's why we called in the water bombers."

Area resident Rob Feifel said there have been many aircraft busy with the fire since it was discovered on Saturday.

He said he's seen yellow and white planes, as well as several helicopters skimming low over his pit on Robertson Road about every 10 minutes for most of Monday as crews battle the fire.

Shaw said the inaccessibility of the blaze, coupled with a lack of human resources to fight the fire, means it will probably not be under control until the weather cools and a significant amount of rain falls.

He's hoping that should be in a few days.

Meanwhile, he's also hoping folks will avoid the area and not place themselves in danger of being water bombed or further impede ground fire-fighting efforts.

The ministry website reports that forest fire activity continued in Ontario with moderate to high fire hazards throughout the holiday weekend.

It also said that Ontario continues to assist other jurisdictions with crews and air support.

Part of Robertson Road (shown), beyond Buttermilk Ski Resort, was closed to non-local traffic for much of the day today.

While the risk to human lives and property along the road is minimal, Shaw said he wanted to keep the number of people in the forest to a minimum to keep that risk as low as possible.

He said it's a popular trail and he expected more than a few people would be coming up to enjoy the warm weather and fall colours on this holiday weekend.