Northwestern Ont. fire covers 16K hectares

Dryden 13, a forest fire in northwestern Ontario, has expanded to 16,000 hectares. (Ontario Forest Fires photo)

Ontario Forest Fires says a forest fire northeast of Dryden in northwestern Ontario has expanded to 16,000 hectares.

“Our crews are actively responding to Dryden 13, which is … not under control,” officials said on social media June 4.

“Residents in surrounding areas may notice smoke drifting into their communities. Twelve FireRanger crews are responding to this fire.”

It has been a busy start to the province’s forest fire season. There have already been 138 fires reported, compared to 141 last year and the 10-year average of 113.

In addition to Dryden 13, Ontario fire crews are dealing with another massive fire in northern Ontario. Timmins 9 began as a 350-hectare fire last weekend, but has spread to almost 3,000 hectares.

Fire officials said that with the hot and dry conditions in the area, combined with strong winds, the fire is expected to get even larger.

The latest updates on the province’s forest fire situation can be found here.