DRYDEN, ON — Firefighting crews in the Northwest Region were working Monday to bring 10 wildfires under control while keeping three others under observation.
Seven additional fires were under control.
The 20 active fires included five new outbreaks that were discovered Monday, ranging in size from 0.1 hectare to five hectares..
The latter was located in a remote location 40 kilometres northeast of Wunnumin Lake.
The largest active fire among ones discovered over the past two days is a 13-hectare blaze near Smoothrock Lake in Wabakimi Provincial Park.
It was found on Sunday.
According to data posted Monday afternoon by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry's Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services branch, this fire doubled in size between Sunday and Monday.
It is situated 42 kilometres northwest of Armstrong, and is not under control.
Sioux Lookout fire number seven, north of Cat Lake First Nation, remains the largest active fire in the region at just over 9,000 hectares.
Discovered on May 26, it continues to be listed as not under control.
Ten fire ranger crews and three helicopters are assigned to the blaze, which is burning away from the community.
Although the fire hazard on Monday ranged from a narrow zone of high along the Manitoba border to medium or low in the rest of the Northwest, a restricted fire zone that was implemented across virtually all of Northern Ontario on Thursday remains in place until further notice.
No open-air burning, including campfires, is permitted, and all burning permits are suspended.
NOTE: This story was updated at 9:42 pm to include new data released Monday evening by the MNRF.
