There were 1,098* forest fires in 2007. That's fewer than half the number of fires reported in 2006. The amount of hectares burned was also dramatically reduced from 149,509 in 2006 to 40,639 in 2007.
It should be noted that 2006 was an extraordinary fire season that broke records in some districts of the West Fire Region. Overall, it was one of the busiest fire seasons in memory for many long-time fire staff.
The number of fires in 2007 is just under the ten year average (1,370) and significantly under the ten year average for the number of hectares affected (122,190). The 2007 fire season started with 329 fires reported by the end of May. In the last ten years, only two seasons had more fires in the same time period. Weather changes as the season progressed reduced fire danger ratings and fire occurrences.
Overall, while the provincial fire scene was quieter than most seasons, some fire districts, such as Sault Ste. Marie, experienced more than three times the activity. A typical season (April 1 through Oct. 31) in that district would see crews respond to 20 - 30 fires that burn up to a couple of hundred hectares. Last year crews were dispatched to over 90 fires burning about 1,600 hectares.
*the number of reported fires within the fire regions from April 1, 2006 to September 30, 2007; no fires were reported in October)
| West Fire Region | East Fire Region | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Fire (to Sept 28) | 479 | 619 | 1,098 |
| Total HA to date (to Sept 28) | 32,852 | 7,787 | 40,639 |
Ontario's Forest Fires to date
- Fires to date - 2006 2,262
- Hectares to date - 2006 149,509
- Fires to date - *10 Year Avg. 1,370
- Hectares to date - *10 Year Avg. 122,190
*from September 28, 1997 to September 28, 2007
Sault Fire No. 13 stands as the largest forest fire in the Ministry’s Sault Ste. Marie District in more than two decades. It was a research burn done in conjunction with the Canadian Forest Service that burned 1,555 hectares in the North Shore Forest, 90 kilometres north of Thessalon in May 2006.
By comparison, a historical review shows that the 1948 Mississagi Fire burned an estimated 132,000 hectares of forest north of Thessalon.
