Ontario Fire season begins April 1st, and ends October 31st each year.
To report a wildfire in Northern Ontario, call 310-FIRE (3473).
https://www.ontario.ca/page/forest-fires#section-0https://www.ontario.ca/page/forest-fires#section-0
To view the forest fire information map with the current fire danger rating, and Restricted Fire Zones:
Ontario uses a four level danger rating: Low, Medium, High and Extreme.
https://www.lioapplications.lrc.gov.on.ca/ForestFireInformationMap/index.html?viewer=FFIM.FFIM
To view the smoke forecast, including current conditions:
https://firesmoke.ca/forecasts/current
Regions
Under the Forest Fires Prevention Act R.S.O. 1990, Chapter F.24 ( FFPA https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90f24 ) the province is divided into a legislated fire region, and a non-fire region. The dividing line is the French and Mattawa Rivers. The area south of these rivers is often referred to as the “outside fire region”, while the term “inside fire region” is used for the area at greater risk from forest fires north of those rivers. This division, mirrors the administrative regions used by the NDMNRF, with the Northwest and Northeast regions being the “inside fire region”, and the southcentral region being the “outside fire region”.
The branch of the Ministry of NDMNRF known as Aviation Forest Fire and Emergency Services (AFFES) is the lead agency for forest fires and floods. AFFES is headquartered in Sault Ste. Marie.
Sectors
AFFES further divides the fire region into sectors. Our communities are inside the Nipigon sector. The sector is managed from the Greenstone Fire Management Headquarters in Geraldton.
Zones
The sectors are divided into zones. Each zone has a number. There are 36 zones in Ontario that follow easily recognizable geographic, municipal and township boundaries. Zones 1 to 13 are in the Northwest Region. Pays Plat, Rossport and Schreiber are in the zone 13, as are Terrace Bay and Marathon.
Restricted Fire Zones
A Restricted Fire Zone is a geographic area in which the use of outdoor fires is restricted by an order made by the Minister of Natural Resources in accordance with the Forest Fires Prevention Act. Each Restricted Fire Zone is identified by a unique Restricted Fire Zone ID number.
There are two reasons why a restricted fire zone is in effect:
- outdoor conditions are extremely dry
- the number of fires occurring has stretched firefighting resources to capacity
A restricted fire zone is a temporary measure for extreme situations and is lifted as soon as conditions permit.
Municipal Fire Bans
Inside the fire region, both a municipal fire ban and a ministry RFZ can be in place on the same piece of land at the same time.
If an RFZ or a municipal ban are lifted, the other ban could remain in place and continue to restrict the use of outdoor fires. It is important to check with your local municipality or local municipal fire department for any municipal fire bans or restrictions on outdoor burning in your area.
Office of the Fire Marshal Bans
Wiggins, Yesno, Lahontan, Killraine Townships including Rossport, Selim, and Gravel River
The Office of the Fire Marshal may also impose their own fire bans in unincorporated territories that are inside of the Fire Region of Ontario.
This type of fire ban will not be imposed when there is a ministry RFZ in place.
To learn more about Restricted Fire Zones, please read the page at this link;
https://www.ontario.ca/page/outdoor-fire-restrictions
In addition, you can download this factsheet from AFFES;
For information about Restricted Fire Zones in Provincial Parks and campgrounds, refer to this factsheet;