Fire hazard low south of Wawa

The risk for forest fires in the northeast region of Ontario remains low.

The Ministry of Natural Resources Forest Fire management centre reports the fire hazard is low in areas located south of Timmins and Wawa.

To date, since the forest fire season opened on April 1, there has been one fire in the Northeast region. Sault Ste. Marie 2 was reported on April 16 and called out the following day.

The 0.6 hectare fire was located off Mission Road in Goulais Bay, about 26 km northwest of Sault Ste. Marie.

A small forest fire in Hearst – 0.4 hectares -- marked the start of the season on April 11.

There are no active fires in Northwestern Ontario.

While some experts have said that it is expected to be a severe wildfire season, others say the season is hard to predict.

Low snowpack and little precipitation can create earlier dry conditions in Ontario's forests. However, looking ahead to summer weather temperatures and precipitation and what effect that may have on forests is difficult to predict months ahead.

Climate change is also a major factor that can affect Ontario's forests and the severity of the season, some experts have said.

In 2023, forest fires raged across Canada, and at times, fire smoke blanketed communities across the country and into the United States. It was considered one of the worst forest fire seasons on record.

In Ontario, 2023 saw a wildland fire season with more than 700 fires and 441,000 hectares of forests burned throughout the traditional season between April and October.

Across Canada there were more than 6,6000 fires reported, with 15 million hectares of forest burned – seven times the annual average over the past decade.

While the season traditionally starts April 1, Alberta declared an early start to the season after fires were reported in February. More than 50 fires have been reported this year in Alberta with twice as many fires in British Columbia, some of which were fires last year and have been smoldering during the winter and have now resurfaced.

To date, more than 600 forest firefighters have been hired this year. The ministry's budget allows for up to 800 people to be hired, but like other industries, is having trouble hiring firefighters.