Still two forest fires burning in northwestern Ontario.
That’s part of the 218 forest fires we experienced this past summer.
Fire information officer Chris Marchand says in addition to having fewer forest fires, fewer hectares of forest was burned.
“Significant less in term of the amount of hectares affected by those fires,” states Marchand.
“This year there was about 89,000 hectares, versus last year about 441 thousand.”
Marchand says wet weather at the beginning of the fire season in April and a wet summer combined to hamper much in the way of fire starts.
“We had 479 fires in the province, compared to 741 last season. So, a little more than half of what we had last year.”
Because it was quiet here at home, Marchand says they were able to lend out fire fighters and equipment to battle wildfires in western Canada.
“We had up to 786 Ontario staff and aircraft, as well as equipment involved in multiple deployments to assist our wildland fire partners in western Canada as well as in eastern Canada.”
Yesterday was the official end to the forest fire season in northwestern Ontario, and means daytime burning is once again permitted and daytime burning permits will once against be issued by local municipalities.
