Three more fires reported

By the end of yesterday, three new fires had been reported in the districts of Kenora, Fort Frances, and Thunder Bay, bringing the total of active fires in the West Fire Region to seven.
The blazes, which include two in Fort Frances District, two in Red Lake District, and one each in the Kenora, Nipigon, and Thunder Bay districts, are a mix of human and lightning-caused fires.
As the hot, sunny weather remains, the fire hazard continues to rise. Any storm systems in the long-range forecast indicate they will be thunderstorms, which will bring lightning into the region under “high” to “extreme” fire hazard conditions.
Kenora District reported a new fire there was the result of a campfire that had been abandoned without being extinguished.
As the hazard rises, the risk of open fires becoming wildfires increases. Fort Frances District fire managers are concerned enough about the increasing risk that they encourage the public to use portable gas stoves for shore lunches instead of open campfires.
Another rising concern for the fire management program in the West Fire Region is the widespread damage to the forest from years of storm damage 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 dead and dying swathes of damaged forest.
The public is reminded that burning of brush or grass should be done no sooner than two hours before sunset and it must be put it out no later than two hours after sunrise.
Choose a safe site, keep your fire small, and never leave it unattended. Also remember to ensure the fire is put dead out before leaving the site.