Forest Fire Threatens Timmins

[Old Sweat]

The link is to the Timmins Times which is covering the fire big time. The text is from an email from our nephew's wife. She has her head screwed on properly so I trust her information.

http://www.timminstimes.com/

Some areas of the Timmins West End were evacuated (Kamiscotia, Government Road in Timmins, Mahoney,Hydro Bay, etc.)  The large fire is coming closer to Timmins.  They have called a State of Emergency just in case they need to call on the government for help with evacuations in the future.  The McIntyre Arena is set up for those who have already been evacuated.  The cause for concern is the fire that was on the 144 and 101 corridor.  They are now reporting that is now 25000 hectares (50+ km in length) and quickly moving.  We have high winds today, which will not be helpful in controlling it.  The heavy smoke has caused the OPP to move the roadblock, which was situated at the 144/101 junction.  They have now moved it to Malette Road and Highway 101.  The Lakeshore Mine could be in the line of fire and they have cancelled shifts at this point.  Kidd Mine Site is also monitoring the situation and I believe they have cancelled some shifts, due to the smoke.  Matthew and all other students with asthma were kept indoors for recess as a precaution as the smoke was very bad yesterday. 

Needless to say that we will not be able to go to Ivanhoe for the weekend, as we now have our seasonal site set up there.....  At one point, Ivanhoe staff were not allowing us to leave the park to go home on Monday due to the road closure.  We ended up needing a police escort to bring us across the fire zone but no issues arose. 

There was also a fire in the Kamiscotia area but that fire is now under control.  They also had a fire on Rae Hill, which caused a bit of concern last weekend.  You tube may have some pictures...

There is also another large fire burning in Kirkland Lake, which is threatening the town.  Highway 11 was closed near Englehart was closed temporarily due to fire. 

 

[Journeyman]

Timmins. ~whew~    I read the title as Forest Fire Threatens Timmies

 

[medicineman]

Timmins. ~whew~    I read the title as Forest Fire Threatens Timmies

Glad I'm not the only one battling dyslexia, lol - read the same thing.

I guess it's a good thing I didn't take the job there last year.

MM

 

[Old Sweat]

Another sitrep. They live in South Porcupine which is in the east end of Timmins. Hope the driving is not too difficult in the drive through.

The winds are fierce today!  Blow my neighbours trampoline across the road and I needed to secure our boat down on the trailer because it was rocking....  Also an unconfirmed report of a fire on Connaught Hill and Hoyle.

 

[The Bread Guy]

OS, here's some links to help you keep track of what's going on in that area:

Ontario MNR (OMNR) Current Fire Situation
http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/AFFM/2ColumnSubPage/268862.html

OMNR Fires of Note
http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/AFFM/2ColumnSubPage/STDPROD_087844.html

OMNR Fire Maps
http://forest.lrc.gov.on.ca/AFFM/fire/interactivemap/firemap_English.htm
http://forest.lrc.gov.on.ca/AFFM/fire/2012maps/regional.jpg

Ontario Ministry of Transportation road closure info
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/traveller/trip/road_closures.shtml

City of Timmins newsroom (with fire updates)
http://www.timmins.ca/category/news-releases

Google News "Timmins + fire"
http://bit.ly/Ljx6Ec

Timmins weather (Env Canada)
http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/city/pages/on-127_metric_e.html

Good luck with your family.

 

[foresterab]

Resource requests for assistance have already been sent, recieved and filled by the Canadian Forest Fire Center.

BC and Alberta resources are enroute with more watching for future orders.

Will PM you OldSweat some other stuff I learned after Slave Lake last year that I learned from collegues.

Here's hoping the winds die down.

edit because I'm dyslexic and read Old Sweat as Old Smoke

 

[Kat Stevens]

This is horrible, I hope the people of Timmins ON get as much govt help as possible with any evacuations and such... *coff*SlaveLakeAB*coff*

 

[my72jeep]

We have way to many fires burning up here. All 6 of our birds are on MNR contracts and have been for 3 weeks now. we are forced to do all our timed maintenance from 10pm to 6am. makes for long nights.

 

[my72jeep]

This just in
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/clouds-smoke-ash-forest-fire-lead-state-emergency-140034914.html

 

[ModlrMike]

Timmins. ~whew~    I read the title as Forest Fire Threatens Timmies

I had the exact same reaction. Luckily, I check other sources for confirmation before believing anything I read on the internet.

 

[Scott]

Anyone interested in the national forest fire situation can go to www.ciffc.ca and click on SITREPs for the day's report. Updated at about 1400 EST every day during fire season.

I used to check these daily when I was fighting forest fires and found it rare to see cross border compact agreements utilised but apparently Quebec has a number of firefighters mobilised.

Situation doesn't look good. Early starts in QC and ON combined with hearing about what could be a bad year in the west...it might be a long summer for suppression crews. The good thing is that there are still resources available.

 

[Scott]

Anyone needing assistance deciphering the SITREP give me a holler here or via PM, I'll do my best to recall my time with DNR.

 

[Old Sweat]

The following story from the Timmins Daily Press highlights the severity of the situation. It is reproduced under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act.

As an aid to reading the ground, Hwy 101 run east west from Hwy 11 through Timmins and on towards Chapleau. Hwy 144 runs south to Sudbury off Hwy 101 west of Timmins.

Timmins 9 jumps 144


By Kyle Gennings, The Daily Press

Posted 10 hours ago


The fire situation in the Northeastern region continues to worsen as the unseasonably dry conditions prevail, spurring on the rapid growth of the province’s largest wildfire, officially referred to as Timmins 9.

Late afternoon Friday brought what officials with the Ministry of Natural Resources had anticipated: The fire jumped Highway 144, and continued spreading towards The Cache campground.

“We don't know how serious this new jump is,” said Mayor Tom Laughren, at a press conference held Friday afternoon. “It jumped, yes, and I am sure it is taxing the MNR crews, but I cannot confirm the extent of the fire.”

Given the monumental scale of the blaze, MNR crews have been operating with a mandate to focus their efforts on protecting camps, properties and homes of evacuated residents.

“The strong winds, which have been blowing from the south and south west at 20 kilometres an hour and gusting as high as 60 kilometres an hour have caused continued extreme fire behaviour,” said Laughren during the second of two daily press conferences hosted at the McIntyre Arena. “The state of emergency is ongoing. Representatives from every concerned body have a presence in the city and have been working at a non-stop pace to keep the situation under control.”

It was these high winds that caused the rapid expansion north and eastward towards The Cache campground.

“The fire will continue to cause smoke and ash within the city,” he said. “From a health perspective, we are asking residents to keep their windows closed and limit their time spent outdoors, especially if they suffer from a health condition.”

The state of emergency includes a total water ban, which has outlawed any recreational use of water for lawns, car washes and every fountain and recreational waterpark in the city.

“The weather conditions are still stressing the fire” said MNR information officer Michelle Nowak. “The fire has experienced a large amount of growth since yesterday (Thursday) we are currently tracking it at 31,660 hectares.”

Thursday night, high winds caused the fire to exhibit “extreme behaviour and growth,” said Nowak.

Given the continued winds, Nowak and her fellow MNR officials anticipated further significant growth, however the direction and conditions of which remain slave to the winds.


OPP and Timmins Police Service officers are continuing to patrol the evacuated areas surrounding Timmins 9, enforcing the Implementation Order and emergency fire zone by land, air and water.

“We have been working extensively to ensure that these areas remain clear,” said OPP Const. Marc Depatie. “It is vital, I've said it before and I am saying it again now, it is vital that residents obey the orders given by the city, the MNR, the OPP and the Timmins Police Service.

“These orders are for your safety and the safety of the fire crews who need to have all of their focus on the situation at hand.”

The fire which has been the focus of concern, was first spotted around 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, just north of the Gogama Unit Road.

Provincial firefighting crews responded to the site within a half hour, but the blaze was beyond control, and by sunset on Sunday evening the fire had travelled 45 kilometres to the north and west, driven by strong winds, where it eventually came to a hint of a standstill a few kilometres south and west of the highway 101 and 144 intersection.

It held its northern advance for the duration of Monday and Tuesday. Instead it grew in width, expanding on its eastern and western flanks, the slowed progress giving Ministry of Natural Resources officials time to map and understand the fire before sending in ground and air crews to fight the blaze.

Strong winds and tinder-dry conditions on Wednesday and Thursday proved to be a perfect combination for expansion as the fire grew from 25,000 hectares to the current estimation of 32,000 hectares.

Strong winds on Friday brought the weight of the Northeastern MNR forces down on the wildfire, with every helicopter and water bomber on scene pounding the northern and easter flanks of the blaze with thousands of tonnes of water. Ground crews composed of 20 four-person crews of fire rangers and heavy equipment building a control berm to attempt to slow the fire.

During Friday’s press, Laughren addressed the issue of rumours circulating throughout the community via social media and word of mouth.

The mayor offered simple advice.

“Check the City of Timmins website and the MNR website along with calling the emergency hotline,” he said. “All of the information from these sources is fact, confirmed, substantiated fact.

“All other information culled through other sources should be treated as rumour until residents have double checked with those sources.”

The emergency hotline is 705-360-8720 and all inquiries regarding road closures should be directed to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation at 1-866-258-8842.

 

[Old Sweat]

Room for cautious optimism because of a change in wind direction and speed. Henceforth I will only post if the situation worsens. This story which originated with CBC is reproduced under the Fair Dealings provision of the Copyright Act.

Lighter winds and cooler temperatures are making things easier for crews battling forest fires near Timmins, Ont., that have been burning since last weekend.

The largest fire, called fire No. 9, is about 30 to 35 kilometres south of the city of Timmins.

On Friday, winds reaching 60 km/h hindered fire crews but Michelle Nowak of Ontario’s natural resources ministry said Saturday’s weather is "helping fire suppression efforts."

"This morning those winds have been cut in half,” she told CBC News. “They've changed direction and now we're looking at a north, north-easterly flow so not blowing back toward the city of Timmins.”

The fire has burned more than 41,000 hectares, is about 70 kilometres long and about eight to 10 kilometres wide.

Evacuation orders issued Friday forced about 800 people to leave cottages and campgrounds around Timmins, which has about 43,000 residents. Those evacuation orders remain in place Saturday and the city remains under a state of emergency.

An evacuation order issued the same day for Kamiskotia, located about 30 kilometres west of Timmins, has since been lifted.

Another evacuation order issued earlier this week saw 118 residents from the nearby Mattagami First Nation relocate to Kapuskasing, where they remained on Saturday.

Air quality improving

Daniel Geoffroy was among those who returned to his home in Kamiskotia late Friday and noticed a significant improvement in air quality.

"Tuesday night, the smoke was really, really bad," he said. "It smelled like if you're near a dump and they're doing a burn, it smelled like that. It didn't smell like a nice bush fire."

"The skies were a really, really nasty, colour. The sun was like a red ball. It was eerie," he said. "I think if the wind had kept going ... in the same direction, I think we would be having more problems."

Nowak said the fire has not grown in the past 24 hours.

She said air suppression crews along with 25, four-person FireRanger crews from Ontario will be working the fire on Saturday.

An additional 20 four-person crews from British Columbia are expected to join the effort on Sunday.

Ontario Provincial Police officers were prepared to perform more evacuations "as needed."

"Our primary focus is on security of persons who have chosen or by accident are ignoring the order to evacuate the area," said provincial police spokesman Marc Depatie.

Kirkland Lake fire situation improves

Smoke from the Timmins fire was blowing toward Kirkland Lake, about 140 kilometres southeast, even as fire crews there tackled the remnants of a massive wildfire.

But emergency officials in the community of almost 10,000 said things were looking up Saturday, with the blaze reduced to 2,635 hectares from 2,757.

Schools were shut down as a precaution Friday, as was the courthouse.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Cause for a bit more optimism....

Cottage owners and year-round home owners in the lake areas west of Timmins have begun returning home. Ontario Provincial Police is conducting a conditional opening of Highway 101 West today to allow residents to get back after they were evacuated from those areas late last week when Timmins Forest Fire No. 9 appeared to be moving on a fast track north through Denton Township.

Since that time, the fire has veered off eastward and it appears the northward movement has been stopped for the time being.

The OPP said the re-opening of cottage areas includes the following: Keefer Lake, Star Lake, Dana Lake, Luquer Lake, Jowsey Lake, Little Star Lake, Jordan Lake, Cosgrove Lake, Norris Nake, Boob Lake, Warren Lake, Tortoise Lake, Lavalle Lake, Whiteside Lake and Carlton Lake.

Recreational areas in Hillary Township and parts of Sewell Township will also be re-opened as of 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday May 29th. This includes Opishing River, Opishing Lake, Old Mill – Weston Lake and Sewell Lake.

It is expected that once all the area residents have been returned to their homes, OPP will be re-opening 101 West through to Foleyet and Chapleau. This could happen late Tuesday, depending on the whether the fire situation remains stable ....

Timmins Times, 29 May 12

Moving this over to "Radio Chatter" given a lack of military involvement for the moment.
Milnet.ca Staff

 

[LineJumper]

So long as Shanias' safe.

 

[PMedMoe]

So long as Shanias' safe.

Are there fires in Switzerland too? 

 

[Loachman]

There's a "Boob Lake" near Timmins?

 

[The Bread Guy]

There's a "Boob Lake" near Timmins?

And it's safe, too....