Fire Update

High winds in the West Fire Region on Saturday resulted in trees falling over power lines and sparking forest fires.
By Saturday evening, six new fires were reported, including one near Lake Despair in Fort Frances District.
However, these fires were small and declared “under control” or “out” within a few hours.
The only other fire from over the long weekend that was reported by the Ministry of Natural Resources was a grass fire which started in Sioux Lookout District yesterday. This blaze grew to one hectare in size before it was extinguished.
Currently, there are no active fires in the West Fire Region, which has seen a total of 43 blazes to date, consuming a total of 49 ha.
While the situation is quiet right now, local MNR fire management supervisor Harrold Boven warned this morning that the fire hazard is on the rise.
“We’re starting to get concerned. We look like we’re in for a week of drying,” he remarked. “By the end of the week, we could be into a ‘high’ hazard, almost running into ‘extreme’ going to into the weekend.
“It’s that time of the year when we’re on the threshold from ‘green up,’” he added. “I would say it’s a good two weeks late. Usually going into Mother’s Day and the long
Please see “Fallen,” P3