Fire crews with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry continue to battle a number of forest fires in northwestern Ontario, with three new fires added to the list as of Monday evening.
One fire, Red Lake Fire 42, which was located in Pikangikum First Nation, was declared out at 0.1 hectares, according to fire information officer Jonathan Scott.
Billowing smoke from forest fires has forced community members to flee from two First Nations in southeastern Manitoba.
Evacuations are currently underway in Little Grand Rapids First Nation — and will soon begin in Pauingassi First Nation — for people facing the highest health risks due to smoke from nearby wildfires in Manitoba and northwestern Ontario.
With the wildfire season already under way in British Columbia and Alberta, Environment Canada is predicting a long, hot summer to come.
The wildfire threat has already forced evacuations in northwestern Alberta and central British Columbia, and the preliminary outlook for this summer points to worsening conditions, said David Phillips, Environment and Climate Change Canada’s senior climatologist.