Northwestern Ontario has experienced one of the worst fire seasons in recent memory with more than 1,000 fires this season burning over 500,000 hectares.
The region has experienced some relief by the way of rain and cooler temperatures in the last week, which has limited fire growth on the larger fires.
“With recent rainfall that has reduced the fire behavior on the larger fires. That being said there has been some lightning associated with that, so we have had some new lightning fires,” said Jonathan Scott MNRF Fire Information Officer
The bulk of the rain for the month has come in the last couple of days rain has fallen in the early parts of the month as 8.8 millmetres fell on August 9, 2021, 5.2 millmetres on August 5, 2021, and 1 millimetre on August 4, 2021.
Altogether the total precipitation seen in the area has been 36 millimetres so far this month, which is just under half of the 84.2 millimetre average for August.
Kenora 51 is the biggest fire of note this year burning at over 200,000 hectares, 20 kilometres north of the Whitedog Independent Nation, which led to the evacuation of the community.
Crews have been called in from Canada, Mexico and Australia have been called to assist Ontario firefighters in battling more than 100 active forest fires across the region.