Media release from the Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services program of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry:
It was a busy day for the Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services program in the Northwest Region.
There were multiple fire reports and four fires were confirmed by the evening and another fire report was being checked in the Dryden District.
Kenora Fire Number 28 is burning to the north of the Shoal Lake First Nation community. It is not threatening the community which is several kilometers to the south and the fire is burning to the north. The fire spread rapidly under high winds with multiple spot fires. By the early evening of May 23 it was reported at 350 hectares in size. Multiple FireRanger crews and four CL-415 heavy water bombers fought the fire through the day. An Incident Management Team has been assigned to this fire.
The fire was approximately four kilometers south of Highway 17 and smoke may be visible there.
Sioux Lookout District Fire Number 15 is a 10-hectare fire about 10 kilometers to the north east of Sioux Lookout. Thunder Bay District also responded to a fire on an island on Swallow Lake about 53 kilometers west of Kakabeka Falls. It is listed as not under control at 0.7 hectares in size. Fort Frances District also received a confirmed fire within Quetico Provincial Park. Fort Frances Fire 12 is a 0.5 hectare fire on Batchewaung Lake.
The forecast for Sunday is another sunny and dry day across the region and the fire hazard will remain high and even extreme in the far north.
Rain is in the forecast for Monday which is expected to reduce the fire hazard, but thunderstorms and gusty winds will be part of the storm system which makes for windy conditions ahead of the storm and lightning strikes which may result in forest fires.
