11 forest fires now burning in Northwest region: MNR

Firefighters have one more forest fire to worry about in the Northwest as they work to extinguish a blaze in the Dryden area.

Ministry of Natural Resources officials say the 0.2-hectare, man-made fire started Wednesday on the CN Railway tracks near Good Lake. It’s the 11th blaze in the Northwest region as fires continue burning in the districts of Fort Frances, Kenora, Thunder Bay, Nipigon and Sioux Lookout.

Firefighters are also trying to bring a forest fire near Mishkeegogamang Ojibway Nation under control.

That fire continues to burn about 18 kilometres east of the community.

Smoke from the forest fire forced the community to evacuated toddlers and their parents, elders and people who experience difficulty breathing.

About 80 Mishkeegogamang residents arrived in Sioux Lookout just after 2 a.m. Wednesday.

More were expected to arrive the following day.

The fire is burning over more than 21,000 hectares of land between Albany and Wabakimi Provincial Parks near Highway 559, according to the MNR’s website.