Currently 20 active forest fires in northeastern Ont.

Forest fires affecting air quality in the north Smoke from forest fires burning in Quebec is affecting the air quality in several communities in northeastern Ontario.

There are 20 forest fires active in northeastern Ontario, including eight new confirmed fires reported Friday.

“Wawa 5 is 0.1 hectares and not yet under control,” said an update from Ontario’s Aviation, Forest Fires and Emergency Services.

“The fire is located about 1 km south of TransCanada Highway 17 and 20 km northwest of White River.”

Other active fires include:

- Algonquin Park 3, 4, and 5 are each 0.1 hectares and not yet under control. These fires are located between lakes Lavieille and Opeongo in the central area of Algonquin Provincial Park.

- Cochrane 6 is 1,000 hectares and not yet under control. The fire is located about 11.6 km west of the northern end of Lake Abitibi and 31.6 km northeast of Iroquois Falls. This fire is exhibiting aggressive behaviour and action plans are being formulated.

- Cochrane 7 is 600 hectares and not yet under control. The fire is located about 16.8 km northeast of the northeastern end of Lake Abitibi and 11.2 km west of the Quebec border.

- Chapleau 4 is 0.4 hectares and not yet under control. The fire is located about 34 km west of Highway 144 or 3 km west of the south end of Opeepeesway Lake.

- Sudbury 6 is 0.5 hectares and not yet under control. The fire is located about 14.5 km northwest of Windy Lake and about 3 km west of Highway 144.

- Fires currently under control include Hearst 3 at 0.7 hectares, Cochrane 2 at 0.4 hectares, Sudbury 5 at 1 hectare, and Kirkland Lake 2 at 2 hectares.

- Fires being held include Wawa 2 at 105 hectares, Timmins 6 at 8.5 hectares, and Kirkland Lake 3 at 2 hectares.

- Fires currently not yet under control include Cochrane 3 at 80 hectares, Cochrane 4 at 1 hectare, Cochrane 5 at 5 hectares, and Chapleau 3 at 20 hectares.

- Fires being observed include Cochrane 1 at 45 hectares.

- Wawa 3, which began on May 27, is not yet under control and remains at 6,810 hectares. An Incident Management Team is established and suppression is ongoing.

Under the emergency area order declared May 31, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Chapleau-Wawa District, has put in an implementation order for the WAW003 fire to protect public safety and to facilitate effective fire suppression.

For more information on the travel and use restrictions, see the implementation order map.

For a closer look at fire hazard conditions in your area, view the interactive map.