Crews battle island blaze

While no new fires were reported in the West Fire Region yesterday, one new blaze got local crews into action early evening Tuesday.
FireRangers from the Fort Frances Fire Management Headquarters, along with a waterbomber and bird-dog aircraft out of Dryden, responded to a new fire in Fort Frances District.
Fort Frances Fire #15 was burning on an island near Quetico Provincial Park. It was 0.3 hectares in size, but was put “out” as of yesterday.
There currently are no fires burning in Fort Frances district, though there are four still “active” in the region—Red Lake Fire #7, Nipigon Fire #12, Kenora Fire #22 and Thunder Bay Fire #15.
In related news, Ontario continues to support other provinces and the Northwest Territories with personnel and equipment.
An air attack officer and air attack officer trainee are continuing their deployment in the Northwest Territories, and firefighting equipment has been dispatched to Saskatchewan and British Columbia.
The plans sections chief and the fire behaviour analyst previously deployed to the Northwest Territories and British Columbia have returned home.
The fire hazard is predominately “moderate” to “low” across most of the West Fire Region. However, there are some areas of “high” hazard in the Thunder Bay, Fort Frances, and Nipigon districts, and campfires should be used with caution.
Fire information officer Deb MacLean said this morning that rainfall has kept conditions subdued, but the fact there’s been occasional fires popping up here and there indicates the potential for any new starts to spread, particularly human-caused fires.
“Human caused fires tend to be around human-populated areas, not remote,” she noted. “So even a small campfire could also threaten the personal safety of people.
“That’s the thing we always have to caution people about—regardless of hazard, the potential for fire spread is still an issue, and personal injury is the highest concern in all of that,” MacLean stressed.
The public is reminded that day burning of brush or grass is not allowed under the Forest Fires Prevention Act of Ontario.
Burning of brush or grass should be done no sooner than two hours before sunset and it must be put it out no later than two hours after sunrise.
Choose a safe site, keep your fire small, and never leave it unattended. Remember to ensure the fire is put dead out before leaving the site.
If you live in a municipality, check local bylaws for any burning restrictions that may apply.