MNRF hopeful weather will ease Northeast fire situation

104 wildfires were burning in the Northwest Region as of Wednesday afternoon, but Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) officials hope the region's weather will provide wildfire relief in some areas.

According to MNRFFire Information Officer Chris Marchand, six of the new fires were reported on July 31, as of about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, one more had begun to burn.

However, cloud cover and cooler temperatures in much of the region were a good sign, as lower temperatures tend to be indicative of higher humidity, and the higher the humidity, the less likely fuel is to ignite and fires to start or spread.

Crew added to Thunder Bay 38

Marchand said a second crew had been added to Thunder Bay Fire 38, which is located south of Whitefish Lake near the U.S. border.

The fire was reported July 31, and wasabout 1.1 hectares as of Wednesday afternoon. The MNRFanticipates it will be under control by Wednesday evening.

Other new fires include Nipigon Fire 50, which is burning north of Hall Lake, about 50 kilometres northeast of Nipigon, and Nipigon Fire 51, located about 60 kilometres north of Schreiber.

Thunder Bay Fire 40, meanwhile, is about 118 kilometres north of Thunder Bay, north of Black Sturgeon Lake.

None of those fires were listed as under control as of Tuesday evening.

Some canoe routes in Woodland Caribou Provincial Park in the Red Lake District continue to be closed, and access to some lakes in the park restricted, due to fires.