West Fire Region

The forest fire hazard is expected to drop to low as storm systems continue to bring rain and cloud cover throughout the West Fire Region. There were no new fires reported by the evening of June 02.

One fire of note, Red Lake Fire Number 32 burning northeast of Pikangikum had sunny conditions and winds out of the southwest at 20 kilometres per hour on June 02. An infrared scan on the east flank showed a number of large hotspots that were smoking. FireRanger crews will be cutting helipads to improve access to the fire area and will be patrolling the flanks of the fire. No problems are expected and infrared scanning will continue. The fire is classed as not under control at 4,417 hectares in size and an Incident Management Team is based at the Bak Lake Forward Attack Base to manage it.

Red Lake Fire Number 26, burning east of Red Lake about 110 kilometres is classed as under control. The Incident Management Team on this fire has returned to home base, and the dismantling and removal of the basecamp infrastructure was completed June 02.

Currently there are eight fires being monitored in the West Fire Region, three in Quetico Provincial Park in the Fort Frances District, two in the far north of the Sioux Lookout District, one in the Thunder Bay District in Wabakimi Park, one in the far north of the Nipigon District and one in the Dryden District on an island on Eagle Lake. There are no problems expected with these fires and as they burn they will provide benefit to the ecosystems which contain many plants and trees that require forest fire for their renewal.

This brings the total number of active fires in the West Fire Region to 10 with a combined area of 7,428.3 hectares burned over. The 2010 total to date for fires and hectares in the West Fire Region is 239 fires for a burned area of 8,123.0 hectares.

There is no restricted fire zone in the West Fire Region and outdoor fires are allowed provided people follow the proper outdoor burning guidelines. www.ontario.ca/fireprevention

The East Fire Region remains in a Restricted Fire Zone with the western boundary of those restrictions being the Pic River in the Wawa District. www.ontario.ca/forestfire