Fire hazard ‘low’ in region

Thanks to the recent rains, and cooler than normal temperatures, the fire hazard currently is “low” in every district of the West Fire Region, the Ministry of Natural Resources reported yesterday.
“It isn’t so much we’ve received copious amounts of rain. There’s just been a cycle of weather that’s really helped out,” said MNR fire information officer Deb McLean.
She noted there’s been a few fires over the past few days caused by lightning, and that thunderstorm season definitely is underway, but that overall, “it’s been a very slow year.”
The most recent fires were two reported Monday in Red Lake District. As of yesterday afternoon, one had been declared “out” while the second was expected to be so by day’s end.
They were held at 6.7 hectares.
Red Lake District has seen 11 blazes since the fire season began April 1, which have burned about nine ha.
Fort Frances District has seen six blazes so far this spring, with 1,234 ha consumed (mostly due to one large fire north of Rainy River in mid-April).
Kenora District has had 12 fires, burning 4.6 ha, while Dryden District has seen a total of three fires, consuming just 0.3. ha.
A dozen fires have burned in Nipigon District since April 1, consuming 4.5 ha, while Sioux Lookout District has seen seven, burning up 2.8 ha.
And Thunder Bay District has seen 19 blazes to date, losing 10.8 ha to the fires.
There has been a total of 70 fires to date in the West Fire Region since April 1, consuming a total of 1,266 ha.
But despite the relative lull in activity, MNR fire management hasn’t been resting on their laurels, stressed McLean.
She noted all the seasonal firefighters, as well as management, have completed their usual training, and now are using the downtime to do training they might not normally do.
One example she cited was an exercise today and tomorrow near Vermilion Bay, where FireRangers are learning how to use large sprinklers to protect a fish research facility there if a forest fire were to break out.
McLean noted the exercise not only gives crews practice protecting property (or “values”) from fires, but provides management with the information as to what equipment is needed for crews to efficiently respond to and then establish an effective sprinkler defence.