OTTAWA – The number of forest fires to blaze through Ontario in 2012 has exploded since last summer, fueled by crisp vegetation and dry lightning.
This summer’s fire count has reached 941, nearly double the 591 firefighters had to deal with last year at this time. The number of fires in 2012 also surpasses the ten year average to date which comes in at 572.
While the number of fires in 2012 is quickly outpacing those seen last season, last year’s fires did more damage.
Forest fires consumed 624,568 hectares by July 20 last year, compared to the 63,194 hectares destroyed so far this year. The average number of hectares that are destroyed is 123,654.
It all comes down to location, location, location, according to a fire behaviour specialist at the Ministry of Natural Resources.
The remote reaches of northwestern Ontario were ground zero for fires last summer. It’s an area where there are very few humans, homes and timber rights.
“We have these large fires up there, we’d make sure there were no values in the way, and we’d go out and let them burn, then go out and check them again,” said Bill Droog, a fire behaviour specialist with Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources.
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Northwestern Ontario is also home to boreal forests which need fire to keep healthy and ignite renewal.
This summer, lightning has sent flames into more heavily populated areas in Ontario’s cottage country. Lucrative timber stands have also been at risk.
“We have to be much more aggressive with these fires to put them out,” Droog said. “We are ramped up and we are catching most of them at 0.1 hectares or 0.2 hectares.”
The change has been fueled by weather patterns bringing hot, dry weather into eastern parts of the province.
“We just haven’t been getting the rainfall and conditions dry out,” Droog said. “What you end up with is very dry forest fuels.”
With only trace rain and dry lightning in the forecast, the provincial government is bracing for a busy weekend with the potential for 20 new fires.
Some campers had their weekend plans interrupted due to a 100-hectare fire raging on Canadian Forces Base Petawawa on Friday. The base is located about two hours northeast of Ottawa. With help from water bombers, the Canadian Forces has been fighting the fire since it broke out Thursday at 2 p.m.
The fire is lapping at the eastern boundary of Algonquin Park, a popular summer destination. With the flames 500 metres away from the edge of the park, officials have put campers at the nearby Achray campground on evacuation notice, advising them to stay close to their belongings.
While there is no imminent danger, no new campers are being permitted beyond the parks’ portage store.
“With it being such good weather, unfortunately there would have been quite a large number of campers coming in,” said Algonquin spokesman Joe Yaraskavitch. “If they want to leave they can, we will provide full refunds.”
Yaraskatvich said the fire and an ensuing plume of smoke could be seen from nearby Pembroke, Ont. on Thursday night, but it had died down by Friday.
The fire is not yet under control, but the boundaries were holding through Friday afternoon.
Yaraskavitch said park officials will be monitoring the situation to determine when it will be safe to reopen the eastern boundary. Updates can be found on the Friends of Algonquin website.
Fire bans have been issued by the province for northeastern Ontario including Espanola, Sudbury, Manitoulin Island, North Bay and Temagami. Fines for breaking the ban run up to $1,000. People responsible for starting a forest fire could be liable for covering the costs of fighting that fire. Many municipalities across Ontario have their own bans in place.
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