Those who love summer and campfires welcomed the news this week that a restricted fire zone in northern Ontario had been lifted after being in place for six weeks.
But that doesn't mean new fires are not popping up, Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services for the Northeast Fire Region says.
There were three new fires confirmed by the AFFES in its latest update:
- Wawa 9 was confirmed late this afternoon. It is a 1.3 hectare fire 1 km east of Obakamiga Lake and 2 km west of South Vision Lake. It is not under control.
- Hearst 8 was confirmed this afternoon. It is a 0.6 hectare fire 150 metres from Hwy 583, and approximately 18 km south of Hearst. It is under control.
- North Bay 8 was confirmed last night. It was a 0.1 hectare fire on an island on the north end of Lake Temagami. It is now out.
The fire service also urged people to check with their local municipality about fire restrictions or burn permits as these requirements can still be in place despite the lifting of the restricted fire zone at the provincial level.
There are currently 30 active wildland fires in the Northeast Region, the fire service said. Of these, one is not under control, one is being held, eight fires are under control and 20 are being observed.
In a Twitter post, Ontario Fires explained what it means when a fire is "being observed".
"With no threat to public safety, the fire is being monitored to allow the ecological benefits of wildland fire to take place naturally," the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry's firefighting arm said.
The fire hazard is low in the southern part of the region (North Bay, Parry Sound, Pembroke, Bancroft). The rest of the region varies from moderate to high hazard with an extreme hazard showing in an area above Kapuskasing and Smooth Rock Falls.
For a closer look at fire hazard conditions in our area, view this interactive map.
According to the AFFES, these are the fires of note today:
- Cochrane 7 was confirmed on June 2. It is a 37,742 hectare wildland fire is located northeast of Lake Abitibi. Ontario FireRanger Crews and a 20-person crew of forest firefighters from Mexico are dedicated to this fire with overhead support from helicopters. The fire is being held.
- Cochrane 11 was confirmed on June 17. It’s estimated at 805 hectares and is located approximately 5 km west of the community of Fort Albany and south of Big Island. FireRanger crews and a 20 person crew of forest firefighters from Mexico are making good progress on fire suppression. The fire is under control.
- Chapleau 3 was confirmed on June 1. It is a 3,916 hectare wildland fire located 2 kilometres south of October Lake and 2.5 kilometres west of Vichaw Lake. It is under control.
- Chapleau 6 was confirmed on June 4. It is a 1,228 hectare wildland fire located 2.5 kilometres west of Morin Lake and 1 kilometre east of Bolkow Lake. It is under control.
To report a wildland fire located north of the French and Mattawa rivers, dial 310-FIRE.
As of Wednesday morning, there are 82 active #wildland fires across the #fire region. Of these, 59 are being observed, which means, with no threat to public safety, the fire is being monitored to allow the ecological benefits of wildland fire to take place naturally. pic.twitter.com/WbC3qhqdfH
— Ontario Forest Fires (@ONforestfires) July 12, 2023