Wildfire now 'under control' in Sault Ste. Marie

There were no threats to public safety and evacuation of the area was not needed.

Article content Human intervention is ‘suspected’ to be the most likely cause of a wildland fire near the city’s airport, said Sault Ste. Marie’s fire chief. An official cause of the fire has not yet been determined.

Recommended Videos Fire Chief Naomi Thibault said the fire was under control by late Monday. Under control is defined as “the fire’s spread has been halted, according to MNR fire definition. The city’s fire department first received notice of “a bush fire” at about 3 p.m. on July 12.

Fire crews responded to the call and coordinated response efforts with support from the MNR. There were no threats to public safety and evacuation of the area was not needed. The fire did not impact Sault Ste.

Marie Airport operations. Thibault told The Sault Star that the Sault Ste. Marie Fire Service takes responsibility for the fire since it began in the municipality.

However, she noted that an agreement is in place with the MNR to respond and assist if the fire is beyond the fire service’s capabilities. “Our firefighters receive some basic wildfire training, but they specialize in structural fires,” she said. “In this case, we led the response and the MNR assisted” with one ground crew.

“Access to the area of the fire was very difficult, and we were limited by our minimal wildland firefighting equipment and experience,” she said. The fire spread to four hectares before being held and then finally declared under control. As of late Monday, two Sault fire crews remained on the scene to wrap up operations, she said.

City crews responded with its frontline pumper trucks, tanker trunk, pumps and forestry hose. A total number of firefighters who responded to the blaze over the two-day event was not readily available. Thibault said city firefighters rarely respond to wildfires, or at least not much more than grass or brush fires.

It’s not known when the fire service responded to the last major wildfire, but it is believed to be at least several decades ago. The municipality will be responsible for the costs associated with the MNR assistance to suppress the fire. Air support was not required, which helps keep costs down.

The final costs of extinguishing the fire are not yet known. Thibault said the fire service is currently undergoing mandatory training updates but noted that in the future, additional wildfire training may be helpful. As hot and dry conditions persist across the province, Sault Fire Services is reminding residents to use extra caution when burning outdoors.

Any open-air burning must comply with the City of Sault Ste. Marie’s Open Air Burning By-law. Never leave a fire unattended, keep a means of extinguishing the fire nearby, and ensure all fires are completely out before leaving the area.

Residents are encouraged to avoid unnecessary burning until conditions improve. Across Ontario this year, there have been 383 wildland fires reported. At the same time last year, there were 339 wildland fires reported.

The number of fires reported at this time of year over the past two years is above the 10-year recorded average of 296 wildland fires reported. The MNR notes that a person failing to burn safely could be fined and held responsible for the cost of putting out the fire.