Three new fires reported in northern Ontario

Northern Ont. wildfire season underway Wildfire season has started in the northeast with provincial numbers higher than last year so but still far short of the 10-year average.

Three new wildland fires were reported in the Northeast Region on Monday, according to Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services (AFFES.)

Sudbury 5 is a 1.2-hectare fire, currently not under control, located 0.5 kilometres east of Hachey Lake.

Sudbury 6 is a 0.3-hectare fire located on the north shore of the Wolseley River, 3.5 kilometres northeast of Noelville. This fire is currently being held.

Sudbury 7 is a 0.2-hectare fire confirmed late Monday afternoon on the northwest arm of Armstrong Lake, 15 kilometres southwest of Windy Lake Provincial Park. It is currently not under control. An aerial suppression team was on site.

“There's currently eight active wildfires, all of which are under control, except for one, which is Timmins 2, which is being held," said information officer Evan Lizotte, speaking with CTV News on Tuesday.

"Right now, areas north of Sudbury and Elliot Lake are looking to be more moderate to high in fire hazard and areas south of those locations are looking to be right now, more moderate to low.”

Existing fires in the region

Bancroft 4 is a 0.7-hectare fire that has been brought under control since Sunday night. This fire is located on the east side of Hicks Lake, between Bark Lake and Papineau Lake, about 16 kilometres southwest of Barry's Bay. One crew is committed to this fire.

Bancroft 5 is a 1.8-hectare fire that is now being held. This fire is located northeast of Hicks Lake.

Bancroft 6 is a one-hectare fire that is under control. This fire is located between Potash Lake and Hicks Lake. One crew is committed to this fire.

Chapleau 2 is a 2.7-hectare fire that is being held. This fire is located about 13 kilometres southwest of the intersection of Highways 101 and 129. An aerial fire suppression team was on site Sunday afternoon and 2 Fire Ranger crews made good progress today.

Sault Ste Marie 3 is a nine-hectare fire that is being held. This fire is located about 2.5 kilometres west of Highway 108 and about 3.5 kilometres south of Mississagi Provincial Park. Three crews are committed to this fire. An aerial fire suppression team was on site Sunday afternoon. The fire is responding well to suppression efforts.

Timmins 1 is a 0.7-hectare fire reported early last evening and is being held. It is located on the south shore of Little Wizard Lake, approximately 6 kilometres west of Gogama.

Timmins 2 is a one-hectare fire located approximately 2 kilometres east of the Redstone River, southeast of Timmins. It is currently being held.

The wildland fire hazard ranges from moderate to high for most of the Northeast Region and extreme from Chapleau through to Cochrane, and from Parry Sound to Powassan through to the north side of Algonquin Provincial Park.

Provincial officials with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry said they are not able to give an outlook on the fire season ahead as it is too closely tied to weather patterns.

“If it's dry for a couple of weeks, then we can expect to see some some fire, especially if there's lightning sprinkled into that," said Lizotte.

"But, you know, if we continue to have these precipitation falls every three or four or five days, well the season will probably look similar as it is now.”

Report a wildland fire

To report a wildland fire located north of the French and Mattawa rivers, please dial 310-FIRE. To report a wildland fire located south of the French or Mattawa Rivers, please dial 911.

With files from CTVNorthernOntario.ca journalist Cory Nordstrom