Four new wildfires have been confirmed in northeastern Ontario as crews continue to grapple with what has been described as one of the worst forest fire seasons ever in Canada.
There are currently 35 active wildland fires in Ontario's Northeast Fire Region, fire officials said in their Aug. 3 update. Of these, two are being held, six are under control and 27 are being observed.
Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services for the Northeast Fire Region said the new fires are in the Sault, Chapleau, North Bay and Cochrane districts.
- Sault 11 is 0.1 hectare and 3 km southeast of the town of Serpent River. It is being held.
- Chapleau 16 is 0.1 hectare and approximately 1 km south of Busby Lake. It is under control.
- North Bay 12 is 0.1 hectare and 3 km south east of Rabbit Lake. It is now out.
- Cochrane 48 is 10 hectares and approximately 30 km north of Moosonee. It is being observed.
The AFFES (the firefighting service of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry) said the majority of the Northeast Fire Region has fire hazard values that are low to moderate except for three of pockets with high fire hazard values: from Parry Sound northeast to Powassan, Elliot Lake northwest to Missinaibi Provincial Park and in the northeast corner of Algonquin Provincial Park.
For a closer look at fire hazard conditions, view this interactive map.
For smoke forecasts, visit FireSmoke.ca to access current and forecast conditions.
To report a wildland fire located north of the French and Mattawa rivers, dial 310-FIRE.