DRYDEN — Another group of firefighters and Ministry of Natural Resources fire management personnel has been deployed to Western Canada which continues to confront a severe outbreak of forest fires.
The MNR reported Saturday that it had sent a contingent of 100 fire rangers and a 21-person Incident Management Team at the request of Alberta's firefighting agency.
The group comes from bases across Northern Ontario, many of whom boarded at the Dryden Airport.
This firefighting season, the MNR has deployed firefighters and management personnel to Alberta on various dates under an inter-provincial mutual aid agreement.
As of Monday, Alberta was reporting 123 active wildfires, including 24 that were out of control.
Ontario has also supplied firefighting personnel and equipment, including waterbombing aircraft, at various times to Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, Quebec and Newfoundland & Labrador this year.
There are currently 276 Ontario firefighting personnel on duty in Western Canada and the NWT.
Ontario has experienced a relatively low rate of wildfire activity so far this year.
In the Northwest region, as of Monday evening there were nine active fires, one of which was under control and eight of which were being observed.
The largest fire had burned an area of about 60 hectares, roughly six kilometres east of North Caribou Lake.
The forest fire hazard across Northwestern Ontario generally ranges from low to high.
