Staff
With walleye season opening Saturday, the Ministry of Natural Resources is reminding anglers they must completely extinguish their fires for cooking and warmth before leaving the site.
“When they have their shore lunch, make sure that it’s out,” stressed local MNR fire supervisor Harrold Boven.
He added that “historically, some of our larger fires have come from spring campfires.”
The fire hazard for the Fort Frances area is “low to moderate” right now, noted Boven, adding that after the Restricted Fire Zone was lifted back on April 30, the area has been “greening up nicely.”
As well, the warmer weather forecast for this weekend will help flesh out the leaves.
“That spring hazard is slowly coming to an end,” Boven remarked.
The last fire reported locally was Fort Frances Fire #17 back on April 24.
Boven noted staffing here is now up to a full complement of 10 four-person FireRanger crews plus other personnel, with firefighters continuing to be busy with training.
In related news, one new fire was reported in the West Fire Region on Tuesday.
Thunder Bay Fire #41 was a small blaze burning in grass along the railway tracks near the Armstrong airport.
A FireRanger crew dispatched from Armstrong quickly put it “out.”
On a regional level, cooler temperatures, cloud cover, and higher humidity are moderating the fire hazard across Northwestern Ontario, but Thunder Bay and the surrounding area still is quite dry.
To report a forest fire, call 310-FIRE (3473).
