THUNDER BAY – Four new fires were spotted by AFFES in the Northwest region Wednesday, the largest of which, Fort Frances 127 is 2.5 hectares in size. As of Aug. 11, there are 108 fires in the Northwest region.
The region received some much-needed rainfall over the last few days, the far north received 5-15 milimetres, Kenora received 2-5 millimetres, Fort Frances received 1-3 millimetres and red lake received 5-10 millimetres.
The scattered rainfall all over the region has contributed to lowering the activity of the new starts as well as many of the larger fires in the region like Kenora 51 which stands at 200,667 hectares. Unfortunately, the wind and heat over the next few days are likely to dry out parts of the area and could lead to more new starts.
The Kenora 51 fire is still a big concern for crews as it continues to threaten Wabaseemoong independent nation just 20 kilometres to the south of the blaze. Evacuees from Wabaseemoong are currently being hosted in London, Ont. and in the nearby First Nation of Wauzhusk Onigum which offers a “full-service evacuation site”.
