Residents across Northeast Ontario can breathe a little easier as the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) say by the evening of Saturday, July 14, there are now 46 active fires across the Northeast, down from 72 at the beginning of last week.

Lady Evelyn Fire Cluster:

The largest forest fire burning in the Northeast region, the North Bay 72 (Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park) has 12 crews working towards the northern section of the fire. This fire was supported with helicopter bucketing in order to reduce spread to the north. Some rain was recorded in the area but was scattered and variable. Tomorrow will likely be a more active fire day.

Temagami Fire Cluster:

With recent precipitation and favourable weather conditions, many of the smaller fires in this cluster have been brought to a being held or under control status. Fire activity today was reduced and crews continued to make progress. Two fires were remapped to reflect a more accurate size. Although there has been no growth in recent days, North Bay 69 fire is now listed at 221 hectares and North Bay 55 at 74.6 hectares.