Forest_fire

Jeff Green | Aug 11, 2005

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Forest Fire North of Sharbot Lake

by Jeff Green

A forest fire has been burning up an isolated patch of Crown land north of Mountain Grove for several days. JJ Beechie of the Peterborough office of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) said that the fire was reported on Saturday, and two twin otter water bombers were brought in. All told they dumped 180 loads of water on the fire, which at that point was 31 hectares in size.

The fire is located about 5 km north of Highway 7, 11 km west of road 509. It is also about 4 km to the southeast of Hungry Lake, the nearest major waterway.

As of Monday, the fire was not yet considered to be under control, but lines of hose ringing the now 35-hectare patch of land were in place, and four fire crews (with four firefighters in each crew) were fighting to keep the blaze contained.

The twin otters had been moved to the Haliburton area to fight wildfires, but they were available should they be required. MNR officials did not expect there to be any more spread from the fire, which is not seen as a threat to any of the waterfront properties in the vicinity.

There are ATV trails within the fire area, and ATV enthusiasts are encouraged to avoid the area. It is expected it will take up to a week to deal with all of the hot spots that will remain after the fire is put out.

J.J.Beechie of the Perterborough Office of the MNR said that the fire indices for the region are all very high and it is expected there will be a full burn of all material within the fire area.

“We expect it to burn right down to bedrock,” he said.

Since the fire is located entirely on Crown land, the Provincial Government will carry the cost of fighting it.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.