A forest firefighter has died in northwestern Ontario after a medical emergency that occurred final week within the Fort Frances, Ont., space, the province’s Aviation, Forest Fireplace and Emergency Companies (AFFES) company mentioned.
AFFES hearth data officer Chris Marchand mentioned the company and the Ministry of Northern Growth, Mines, Pure Sources and Forestry are “deeply saddened” by the firefighter’s loss of life.
The deceased, who has not been recognized, was a contract firefighter who died in hospital following a medical subject that occurred on July 15, whereas he was serving to reply to wildfires burning within the Fort Frances district, Marchand mentioned.
“Our ministry is working with the Ontario Provincial Police, the Ministry of Labour, Coaching and Expertise Growth, the coroner’s workplace and the contract service supplier of their investigations,” he mentioned. “We lengthen our heartfelt due to our wildland hearth contractors who’ve provided help and workers to assist us battle these fires throughout northwestern Ontario.
“We stay dedicated to offer a secure work setting for our workers and our companions and dealing collectively via … this era of heightened hearth exercise.”
No additional particulars have been supplied.
Greater than 100 fires burning in area Sunday
As of Sunday morning, there have been greater than 100 forest fires burning in northwestern Ontario, in accordance with the province’s interactive forest hearth map.
Pink Lake 51, which continues to burn about 24 kilometres west of Deer Lake First Nation, is greater than 45,000 hectares in measurement, AFFES mentioned.
The company mentioned the hearth is behaving too aggressively to ship out floor crews, and officers are in search of alternatives to convey the jap fringe of the blaze, which is the closest to Deer Lake, to pure boundaries.
A full evacuation of Deer Lake was happening over the weekend following a request from neighborhood management.
Pink Lake 65 encompasses about 12,300 hectares and is burning about seven kilometres northwest of Poplar Hill First Nation. Once more, AFFES mentioned hearth behaviour has been too aggressive to soundly deploy floor crews, and officers are in search of alternatives to convey the hearth to pure boundaries.
A full evacuation of Poplar Hill has taken place.
In the meantime, the Municipality of Pink Lake continues to advise residents that an evacuation is probably going.
Pink Lake 77, which is burning about 36 kilometres west of the neighborhood, is about 17,000 hectares in measurement. Firefighters have additionally needed to cope with a number of smaller fires which have damaged out south of Pink Lake in the previous few days.
Marchand mentioned that as of Sunday, 4 of these smaller fires situated south of Pink Lake have been underneath management. Pink Lake 124 is just not underneath management at 40 hectares.
Kenora 51 is now greater than 90,000 hectares and burning in Woodland Caribou Provincial Park. AFFES mentioned crews are sustaining sprinklers on constructions within the hearth’s neighborhood.
Among the many new fires reported Saturday was Nipigon 56, which is burning 2.5 kilometres southeast of Schreiber, situated on the northernmost level of Lake Superior. The AFFES mentioned the hearth is 0.2 hectares in measurement and never underneath management.
Marchand mentioned there have been some efforts to suppress the hearth on the weekend.
“A hearth in that proximity to the neighborhood will surely be a high precedence for the hearth administration headquarters in Nipigon district,” he mentioned.
Warmth warnings issued for area
A restricted hearth zone stays in impact for the Kenora, Fort Frances, Dryden and Thunder Bay districts, in addition to parts of the Sioux Lookout, Pink Lake and Nipigon districts. No outside burning is allowed in these areas.
Surroundings Canada additionally issued warmth warnings for some components of northwestern Ontario on Sunday. They cowl Atikokan, Thunder Bay, Dryden, Ignace, Fort Frances, Wet Lake, Kenora, Pickle Lake, Pink Lake, Ear Falls, Sioux Lookout and surrounding areas.
Temperatures are anticipated to achieve about 30 C, and into the mid-30s with the humidex, on Sunday.
“Warmth has been an ongoing concern when it comes to firefighter security,” Marchand mentioned. “That is exhausting bodily work, in very troublesome situations.”
Surroundings Canada is looking for a 30 per cent likelihood of rain on Monday in Fort Frances, Thunder Bay, Kenora and Dryden and a 60 per cent likelihood of showers on Wednesday.
“The additional we go on into these kinds of situations, the harder it’s to battle hearth,” Marchand mentioned. “The fires we’re discovering are bigger and harder to extinguish. They’re digging in deeper into the bottom, as deep as 30 to 45 centimetres in some circumstances, relying on the kind of floor they’re burning in.
“That requires an extended time to extinguish and extra assets to extinguish.”
Smoke from the area’s forest fires additionally prompted the company to subject air-quality statements for the Webequie, Geraldton, Manitouwadge, Hornepayne, Lake Nipigon, Pickle Lake, Pink lake, Ear Falls, Pikangikum and Sioux Lookout areas on Sunday.
