• By the evening of August 1, there were 49 active forest fires across the northeast. Of these, 21 are not yet under control, 28 are either being held, under control or being observed.
  • There were ten new fires confirmed in the region today, one of which has already been called out. All of the new fires confirmed today that remain active are located in the Cochrane sector, more specifically in the Far North. These nine active fires are Cochrane 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and 33. They are all located southwest of the community of Fort Severn.

Incident Management Teams

  • Incident Management Teams (IMTs) are in place in the region. They are managing priority fires in the following areas:
    • Lady Evelyn Cluster
    • Parry Sound 33
    • Pembroke Cluster

Lady Evelyn Fire Cluster

  • This fire was confirmed on July 8, 2018.
  • It is not yet under control and measures 27,285 hectares.
  • Values protection equipment remains in place for camps and cottages located on Mendelssohn Lake and Skull Lake.
  • There is over 12km of dozer guard along the northwest head of the fire.
  • There are over 200 front line forest fire fighters assigned to this fire.

Parry Sound 33

  • Parry Sound 33 has been remapped at 11,039 hectares in size. Recent weather allowed more accurate aerial mapping of the fire and aerial ignition in the southeast added to the increased size.
  • Fire behaviour was less active today as high humidity levels and cloud cover aided in fire suppression.
  • Winds were generally out of the east today and changed the fire’s direction of spread to the west. Hose lines on the west side of the fire held the fire’s spread in check.
  • Excellent progress was made on the eastern side of the fire as crews were able to establish lines due to reduced fire behaviour when compared to previous days. Crews are laying hose from the Pickerel River south to establish a perimeter on areas that have passed over the CN line.
  • Structural protection continues along the Key and French Rivers.
  • Crews continue to work the perimeter of the fire by the north and northwest of Key Harbour. Sixty firefighters remain along the east side, south of the Key River to continue perimeter containment. Aerial ignition occurred in the southeast part of the fire removing hazardous fuels and tying the fire into the northern shore of Henvey Inlet.
  • Even though the focus of aerial fire suppression is on the northeast side, we continue to supress and monitor all portions of the fire. The fire remained quiet in the vicinity of Fox Island on the western perimeter.
  • North and east winds today made for smoky conditions in communities to the south. Winds are forecasted to be out of the south tomorrow, moving to the southwest in the afternoon. The fire is approximately five kilometres west of highway 69 and less than one kilometre south of Pickerel River near the CN trestle bridge on the west side of highway 69.
  • Earlier this week, the Municipality of Killarney issued an evacuation order for residents in the areas of Travers, Allen, Struthers, Kilpatrick, Bigwood (including Hartley Bay Road), a portion of Mowat, the Unsurveyed Area, 14 Mile Island and French River Provincial Park. For information, call the municipality at 705-287-2424.

Earlier this week, the Municipality of French River issued an Evacuation Alert for the Alban area, west of the high powered hydro lines on Highway 64. For more information, call the municipality at 705-898-2294 or visit www.frenchriver.ca