Fire season really starting to heat up

There were 18 new fires reported in the West Fire Region yesterday, eight of which have since been declared “out.”
Fire planning specialists predict that today will continue with multiple fire starts and intensified fire behaviour, such as intermittent to continuous crown fire potential with torching, spotting of embers ahead of fires, and fires that burn deeper beneath the surface into organic matter on the forest floor.
Due to the high fire hazard and the number of new fire starts, fire managers are encouraging the public to postpone any outdoor burning until the hazard eases and recommend the use of portable gas cook stoves instead of campfires for recreational activities such as shore lunches.
Another rising concern for the fire management program in the West Fire Region is the widespread damage to the forest from years of storms and insect infestations.
Aerial patrols over the region are showing large areas of affected forest that will result in more challenges to manage fires that ignite in dead and dying swathes of damaged forest.
Thunder Bay and Nipigon districts both report new fires burning in storm-damaged trees.
Kenora District responded to three new fires, including one as a result of a campfire and two burning in dumps in the area which required air attack and ground attack with a fire engine.
Sioux Lookout District saw three new blazes.
Thunder Bay District was dealing with eight new fires by early yesterday evening, including one responded to by a municipal fire department and one in Wabakimi Park burning in rough, rocky terrain and storm-damaged timber.
Red Lake District has responded to three new fires while Nipigon District had two, including one burning in an area of heavy storm damage requiring lots of chainsaw work.
Air attack assisted ground crews in their efforts on this fire, which may be a lightning-caused blaze from a strike days earlier.
This is considered a hold-over fire by the fire program, meaning it was a fire ignited by a lightning strike from a storm system that passed through and didn’t immediately appear as a fire.
Three FireRanger crews are committed to this fire.
Aerial detection patrols are flying over the region where lightning strikes have been mapped on the lightning-locator system.
The weather is forecast to remain mainly sunny and much drier, with light winds. This will continue through to mid-week, with rising temperatures.
By Thursday, clouds and a few showers gradually will develop near the Manitoba border, bringing moderate and occasionally strong winds through the northwest and north-central portions of the region.