There were no new fires in the Fort Frances District over the weekend, and with rain and even snow expected for much of this week, the fire hazard should drop.
“It looks like the weather will be unsettled for the week, reducing the fire hazard,” Harrold Boven, fire management services for the Ministry of Natural Resources here, said Monday.
“We had a plane up every day since last Thursday just to check from an enforcement point of view,” he added. “Spring is the worst hazard of the fire season because your grass fuels are so volatile.”
Meanwhile, the MNR is busy preparing for the fire season. Six of its 10 fire crews have been assembled and are undergoing training. The other four crews will begin May 2.
“We’re getting our forward attack bases operational,” Boven noted.
Over the weekend, Fire Ranger crews participated in some practical training with the Atikokan Fire Department.
Similar training exercises will be held this weekend (with the Morson, Rainy River, Dawson, and Stratton fire departments on Saturday and then the Emo, Chapple, Alberton, and Fort Frances fire departments on Sunday).
MNR crews also assisted with the annual prescribed burn at Manitou Mounds over the weekend.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
