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Grundy Lake Provincial Park being evacuated, latest park to close due to fires

Six provincial parks are closed, 70 under fire ban
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Smoke from the Parry Sound 33 forest fire can be seen on the horizon at Grundy Lake Provincial Park. (Lindsay Kelly/Northern Ontario Business)

Ontario averages 492 forest fires annually, but this year 819 are burning, some resulting in the closure and evacuation of provincial parks.

Grundy Lake Provincial Park is the latest of now six Ontario Parks closed due to forest fires, according to an alert posted to the Ontario Parks website.  Affected campsite reservation holders will be contacted and given a full refund or the opportunity to change their reservation (on availability) with no penalty.

Other provincial parks that are closed include Makobe-Grays River, Lady-Evelyn Smoothwater, Obabika River, Solace (Capreol) and Sturgeon River. Lady-Evelyn Smoothwater, Sturgeon River and Solace provincial parks are interconnected. On July 26, the Ministry of Natural Resources listed the Lady Evelyn fire cluster as not under control. That fire now measures approximately 27,579 hectares.

French River Provincial Park is under a full fire ban and the vistor's centre remains closed. According to the MNRF, all campers have been or are being evacuated west of Highway 69/400. Permit sales for the French River Delta and Pickerel River areas have been suspended and park entry is restricted everywhere west of the highway.

The restricted fire zones in the parks means that a total ban on open fires remains in effect and campfires are not permitted at any time. Charcoal barbeques or biomass units using natural burning fuels (i.e. sticks, twigs, pinecones, etc.) are not permitted. Candles of any type are not permitted.

Portable outdoor living gas or propane fire pits or fire bowls manufactured for the intended purpose of outdoor ambience and recreational enjoyment that produce a flame are not permitted. However, portable gas/propane/naphtha stoves or barbeques that have a fuel source with a control valve may still be used.

Here's what you need to know in list form. The information is updated regularly at the Ontario Parks website, here.

Anyone will reservations at Grundy Lake will need to call the park reservations team at 1-888-668-7275 to receive a penalty-free refund. Ontario Parks is asking that people do not cancel or change reservations online.

Provincial parks that are closed

  • Makobe-Grays River
  • Lady-Evelyn Smoothwater
  • Obabika River
  • Solace
  • Sturgeon River
  • Grundy Lake

Provincial parks under a fire ban

  • Alexander Lake Forest
  • Alexander Stewart
  • Algonquin
  • Amable du Fond River
  • Barron River
  • Batchawana Bay
  • Bissett Creek
  • Bonnechere
  • Bonnechere River
  • Carson Lake
  • Chiniguchi Waterway
  • Chutes
  • Driftwood
  • Egan Chutes
  • Esker Lakes
  • Fairbank 
  • Finlayson Point
  • Foy Property
  • French River
  • Fushimi Lake
  • Gibson River
  • Grant's Creek
  • Grundy Lake
  • Halfway Lake
  • Hardy Lake
  • Ivanhoe Lake
  • Jocko Rivers
  • Kap-Kig-Iwan
  • Kenny Forest
  • Kettle Lakes
  • Killarney
  • Killbear
  • Lake St. Peter
  • Lake Superior
  • Lower Madawask River
  • Magnetawan River
  • Marten River
  • Mattawa River
  • Mikisew 
  • Misery Bay
  • Missinaibi
  • Mississagi
  • Nagagamisis
  • Noganosh Lake
  • Oastler Lake
  • Obabika River
  • Opeongo River
  • Ottawa River
  • Pancake Bay
  • Petawawa Terrace
  • Rene Brunelle
  • Restoule
  • Samuel de Champlain
  • Spanish River
  • Sturgeon Bay
  • Temagami River
  • The Massassaga
  • Upper Madawaska River
  • W.J.B. Greenwood
  • Wakami Lake
  • Wanapitei 
  • Westmeath
  • White Lake
  • Widdifield Forest
  • Windy Lake

– Sudbury.com



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Allana McDougall

About the Author: Allana McDougall

Allana McDougall is a new media reporter at Northern Life.
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