Late last night (Tuesday), the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry’s Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services
updated the forest fire situation in the region.

In the Temagami fire cluster, it reported that cooler temperatures and recent precipitation had kept fire activity to a minimum today.

The fire named North Bay 55, which is located south of Temagami on the east side of Hwy 11, has been updated to “being held.”

That means that sufficient action has been taken that the fire isn’t likely to spread beyond existing or predetermined boundaries under current or forecast weather conditions.

In the Lady Evelyn fire cluster, it reported that heavy helicopters continued to bucket water onto North Bay 72, collaborating with crews on the ground.

North Bay 72 broke out in the Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater park and is the largest in the region, at almost 11,300 hectares. It’s deemed “not under control.”

The ministry said planned controlled burns to reduce forest fuels ahead of the fire were cancelled due to weather conditions. This will take place as soon as weather conditions permit.

Across the Northeast, there were 53 active forest fires.

Of these, 21 are not yet under control and 32 were either being held, under control or being observed.

There were 10 new starts in the region, three of which have already been declared out.