Twenty fires were burning in the Fort Frances District on Tuesday night but all but two have been extinguished, the local Ministry of Natural Resources office said this morning.
“The last two are currently under control and will be out by the end of the day,” noted Harrold Boven, the MNR’s fire management supervisor here.
Crews were successful in controlling the fires despite the fact some district MNR firefighters had been sent to battle blazes in British Columbia.
“We had enough resources available to deal with the fires that we received in the 24-hour period,” Boven said, adding “all Ranger crews from Fort Frances District are back in Ontario, either actioning fires or resting up to get ready to go again.”^The fires in this area ranged in size from 0.1-0.3 hectares. Most were located in the Vedette Lake area, as well as one on Scott Island, one at Blaise Point north of the causeway, and another on Palmer Island.
There were another five fires west of Nestor Falls.
“In a 24-hour period, we actioned 25 fires,” Boven said.
Seven FireRanger crews and two contract crews attacked the fires, with one crew alone tackling seven fires in 24 hours.
“They did an excellent job to keep the fires to a small size with actioning and co-ordination,” remarked Boven.
Waterbombers from neighbouring districts also were brought in to help.
“The Ranger crews, the support staff, and the district staff are to be commended for the work they did,” Boven added. “It was a major team effort.”^He also noted recent rain helped contain the fires. “We received anywhere from 12 mm to 30 mm [of rain]. That reduced the hazard considerably,” he said.
When asked if this meant the Restricted Fire Zone—imposed at 12:01 a.m. yesterday—would be lifted, Boven replied, “We’re considering that,” adding “there are still some stations showing we’re in drought conditions.”^In related news, firefighters still are battling a large blaze burning about 15 km west of Minaki.
But despite a full-out effort to prevent the spread of this fire, the extreme weather conditions blew it north from Catherine Lake to Catastrophe Lake.
The incident command team will take advantage of the current lull in the weather to circle the fire and get it secured before clear, dry, and windy conditions return.
Meanwhile, in consultation with the OPP, the MNR has re-opened the Pickerel Lake Road to general public travel.
But the access point into Pelicanpouch Lake remains closed and travel into the Pelicanpouch river system is not permitted.
On Monday and Tuesday, escort vehicles on Highway 596 ensured vehicles were escorted safely down the road.
Traffic still is not permitted north into Minaki.
Fire managers will assess the road closure daily, but anticipate at least another 24 hours before there is a change in status.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
