More fire starts reported

Four new fires were reported in the West Fire Region by the end of yesterday, bringing the total number of active blazes to 17 as of this morning.
FireRanger crews from the Kenora, Sioux Lookout, Thunder Bay, and Nipigon fire management headquarters all responded to new fires in their respective districts.
The high winds, dry conditions, and hot weather resulted in all the new fires being detected at larger sizes while displaying active fire behaviour.
Multiple waterbombers and FireRanger crews were required during initial attack suppression action yesterday, and three of the four fires were reported at sizes of over 1.0 hectare.
Fort Frances fire management headquarters made history yesterday when it was requested to take action on a small fire on the U.S. side of the border. A FireRanger crew on patrol on Rainy Lake discovered a fire on a small island on the American side of the lake.
A sheriff, who also was on patrol on the lake, requested the Ontario fire crew assist with the suppression of the blaze.
American authorities and Canada Customs were notified, and the Ontario firefighters were cleared to take action on the small 0.1-ha fire.
The fire eventually was turned over to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, allowing the FireRangers to continue their patrol.
On Tuesday, 12 new blazes were reported in the West Fire Region. All responded well to aggressive initial attack by waterbombers and firefighters that day.
Of the dozen, five occurred in Sioux Lookout District, four in Thunder Bay District, and one in each of the Dryden, Red Lake and Nipigon districts.
The forest fire hazard is high-extreme across the northwest and the recent flurry of fire activity is expected to continue. The Ministry of Natural Resources has FireRangers and waterbombers on high alert ready to respond to new fire starts.
Five three-person FireRanger crews from the East Fire Region have been dispatched to the northwest to assist with the escalated fire situation in this area.
The public can assist the aviation and forest fire management program by eliminating human-caused forest fires. Fire managers recommend the use of portable gas cook stoves rather than lighting campfires.
By eliminating preventable forest fires, the MNR can focus its resources on fighting lightning-caused ones.