Northwest Region End Of Season Fire Report
Although the forest fire season starts and ends at the same time each year, from April 1 to October 31, the events and responses are always unique!
Thus it was in the Northwest Region in 2012. The first confirmed fire was found on January 9 on a small island 25 kilometres north of Kenora. This was soon followed by fires in other districts. By the end of April there had been multiple fire starts across the entire region.
May was quieter in the Northwest but things were hot in the Northeast Region so support was sent to the east, and to the Thunder Bay District emergency management team dealing with heavy flooding in Thunder Bay and the surrounding area.
July was a month of note in the Northwest Region. Multiple fire starts had occurred by the end of June and the July long weekend saw over fifteen thousand lightning strikes and 10 new forest fires reported.
By mid-July the Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services program had responded to 183 fires in Ontario, including 113 fires in the Northwest Region. Many of those fires were in northern districts and smoky conditions were an issue.
Firefighters from New Brunswick, Manitoba and Minnesota as well as waterbombers from Quebec and Newfoundland were in the region assisting in the fire management efforts.
Near the end of July, the Sandy Lake First Nation declared an emergency due to smoky conditions and a partial evacuation of the community commenced. A total of 637 community members were evacuated to either Thunder Bay or Fort Frances.
The August and September fire activities proved challenging with high winds and warmer than average temperatures. Multiple fire starts occurred well into September.
On the other hand, many of the fires in the region were monitored this season as they burned to natural boundaries after being identified as good candidate fires to renew island and forest ecosystems. Forest fires play an essential role in the health and sustainability of ecosystems in protected areas. Home to a variety birds and animals, these habitats and ecosystems benefit when renewed by fire.
Prescribed burns were also conducted in the region with great success.
October rolled into the region with quite the winter show bringing cold, wet and snowy weather and an end to forest fire hazards by the first week of October. A fitting closure to a season that began in the early winter months of the year!
