17 wild fires burn across the northeast

NEWS RELEASE
MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND FORESTRY
************************
There were five new wildland fires still active by late afternoon on August 25. Six fires are not under control at the time of this update.

• Pembroke 5 is currently 0.2 of a hectare. The fire is located northeast of Bissett Creek Provincial Park.
• Wawa 12 is listed at 0.1 of a hectare and is located north of Nimoosh Provincial Park.
• North Bay 24 is under control at 0.1 of a hectare. This fire is located south of Lake Temagami.
• Algonquin Park 21 is listed at 0.3 of a hectare and is located southwest of Dickson Lake.
• Algonquin Park 22 is currently 0.3 of a hectare in size. The fire is located north of Booth Lake.
• Algonquin Park 19 started August 24th and is listed at 4 hectares in size. The fire is located west of Foys Lake.

A total of 17 fires are burning across the northeast. The remaining 11 fires are either being held or under control.

The forest fire hazard ranges from low to high across the region, with the areas of most concern situated in the central and eastern portions of the region.

For up to date forest fire hazard conditions in your area, see the interactive fire map.

Help prevent forest fires

Adopt safe campfire practices! Choose the site of your campfire carefully and keep your fire small. Stay nearby: never leave it unattended. Put your fire out by drowning it with water. Be sure that it is extinguished prior to leaving the site. Stir the ashes with a stick to uncover hot coals and then drown it again. You can never be too safe.

Consider alternatives to burning brush or yard waste, such as chipping or composting when possible, or saving burn piles for the fall or after the fire season. Use of outdoor fires must follow the outdoor burning rules set out in the Forest Fire Prevention Act of Ontario. Fires are to be started no sooner than two hours before sunset and extinguished no later than two hours after sunrise. Fires should never be left unattended and tools and water should be close at hand to put the fire out. More details on outdoor burning regulations can be found online.

More Information

For updates on highway closures, check Ontario511 or @OPPCommunicationsNER on Twitter, and Ontario Provincial Police-Northeast Region on Facebook.

For information about the current forest fire situation: 1-888-220-7242

For updates on the fire situation, visit ontario.ca/forestfire or follow us on Twitter @ONforestfires.

To report a forest fire located north of the French and Mattawa rivers, please dial 310-FIRE. To report a forest fire south of these rivers, dial 911.

************************