FireSmart Questions and Facts - Historical Facts

Fire History

Did you know?

• In 1887 the government took steps to safe guard Crown land that was not under license by appointing 12 rangers paid by the Department.

• Historically, Ontario could expect 1 severe fire season every 13 years, with 1948, 1961 and 1974 seeing over l, 000,000 acres burned per season. Since 1973, we have experienced 7 severe fire seasons, all of which burned over 400,000 hectares or 1,000,000 acres. This distance is roughly the equivalent of a 15 - mile wide corridor stretching from Toronto to London.
• It was estimated that the May 1986 fire, Red Lake 7, which burned 107,900 ha. (266,500 acres) of accessed and allocated mature pine and spruce forests, resulted in the loss of over 1 billion dollars to the Ontario economy.

Facts About Fire

When was Ontario's most devasting fire?

The most devastating fire in Ontario's history was the Matheson fire on July 29, 1916 when an escaped settler's clearing fire burned 500,000 acres (781 sq. miles) with over 225 human deaths.

When was the first forest fire protection laws passed?

The first forest fire protection legislation was passed in 1878 but remained a dead letter (not practiced) until 1885. In 1885, lumbermen were asked to nominate rangers to patrol the limits. The name and form of our present legislation was passed in 1917 after the Matheson fire, the legislation is known as the Forest Fires Prevention Act.

How much did the average forest ranger earn per day in 1927?

The average wage of a forest ranger in 1927 was $2.75 per day.

Which two years had the most forest fires?

The record number of fire starts occurred in 1976 with 3985 fires, while 1988 had the second highest number at 3260. During these years, Ontario fire managers had to deal with up to 150 or more new fires per day. (Even under these sometimes trying circumstances, the fire management team pride’s themselves with being able to suppress over 95% of their fires at less than 1 hectare and within 24 hours of initial attack.)

How many acres were burned in Ontario’s largest fire?

The largest fire in recent recorded history in Ontario was Red Lake 150 which occurred in 1983 and burned 328,590 acres (133,030 ha.) before being put out by Mother Nature.

Which forest fire was the most aggressively attacked?

The most aggressively attacked forest fire was Thunder Bay 46 in 1980, which burned 313,200 acres or nearly 500 sq. mi., (126,800 ha. or 1268 sq. km.). The fire was first discovered on June 16, declared under control on July 17 and out on September 7.