Petawawa fire forces biggest evacuation in Algonquin Park history

This aerial photo from Ontario's Ministry of Natural resources shows smoke rising from a training area used by CFB Petawawa over the weekend.

Crews are continuing to fight a forest fire at the CFB Petawawa training area in eastern Ontario.

At one point, the fire closed all access to the east side of Algonquin Park and all Crown land on the Barron Canyon Road in Pembroke, Ont.

Flames never reached Algonquin Park, but the fire was about 100 metres from the border of the park at its closest point.

The fire forced the biggest evacuation in the history of Algonquin Park as close to 400 people were given four hours to pack up and leave.

The blaze began last Thursday afternoon near the firing range and quickly burned out of control because of the dry conditions.

A total ban on open fires in Algonquin Park remains in effect after a second fire within the base training area was discovered on Sunday.