As of Sunday night, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry says there 39 active forest fires in the Northeast.

14 of them are not yet under control.

Incident management are focused on 4 major fires including River Valley, Lady Evelyn, Parry Sound 33 and Pembroke.

The Parry Sound fire is 8,200 hectares in size,

Strong winds are continuing possibly bringing smoke into communities along Highway 69.

The ministry says the fire is 6 kilometres from the highway and 1 kilometre from a CN bridge.

In the River Valley cluster, there are 3 fires in the North Bay district including 1 at Sturgeon River Provincial Park.

The Lady Evelyn fire is 27,000 hectares in size that 300 hectares less.

The Ministry says that fire is not under control.

(air quality)

Environment Canada has issued an air quality statement for the North Bay area.

The advisory says smoke is causing poor air quality and reducing visibility.

possible high levels of air pollution due to smoke from forest fires are expected today and tonight.
Smoke plumes are moving northeast over areas near Grundy Lake Provincial Park towards Lake Nipissing and North Bay from forest fires west of Key River.

Air quality may deteriorate if the smoke descends to ground level.

These higher pollution levels may persist for the next few days.

Individuals may experience symptoms such as increased coughing, throat irritation, headaches or shortness of breath.

Children, seniors, and those with cardiovascular or lung disease, such as asthma, are especially at risk.

(file photo)

Filed under: Northeast Region forest fires