New fire blazes out of control in Kawartha Lakes, Ont.

CBC

3 days ago

Fire crews in the City of Kawartha Lakes are battling a fourth active forest fire on Tuesday, said the Ministry of Natural Resources.
The OFR001 fire began Monday afternoon as a grass fire and was five hectares in size, said a release from the city.
That fire has now grown to about 35 hectares, said Evan Lizotte, a fire information officer with the Ministry of Natural Resources.
"The fire is not under control," he said. "Personnel from the Haliburton Fire Management Headquarters are responding to the fire with five fire ranger crews and air attack."
The fire is located about 200 metres west of Prospect Road and one kilometre north of Eldon Station Road in the Kirkfield area.
While no evacuation orders have been issued at this time, provincial and city officials are requesting people avoid all active fire areas to allow crews to safely continue working.
A news conference with the mayor of Kawartha Lakes and the Ministry of Natural Resources is expected Tuesday morning.
Emergency responders were first alerted to the grass fire when smoke was spotted in Kirkfield on Monday afternoon, said Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) on social media.
Fire crews, water bomber planes and a helicopter worked to suppress the new fire on Monday.
"Farms are actively moving their animals to safety. Please avoid the area," said the OPP post.
Crews also battling 3 other active fires in the area
The city's release said extremely dry conditions and four active fires are straining firefighting resources in the area.
Kawartha Lakes is currently facing three other active fires. Of those fires, it says HAL018 and HAL019 are out of control, while HAL016 is under control.
As of Tuesday morning, HAL018 is over 12 hectares and HAL019 is approximately 27 hectares
Lizotte says both fires have "been tied in," meaning the crews have managed to prevent the fire from advancing further by keeping it contained.
If residents spot any smoke, they're asked to call 705-324-2191 instead of 911, said city officials.
There is a citywide total fire ban being enforced at this time. People are also requested to not fly their drones within nine kilometres of the fire for safety reasons.
What should residents do with fires coming closer to cities?
It's imperative for residents to know how to fireproof their homes and communities, said Vinny Gupta, an assistant professor in fire safety engineering at the University of Waterloo.
"What we're seeing is wildfires get closer and closer to big cities and I don't think these problems are going to go away," he told CBC Radio's Metro Morning.
Looking at the wildfires that took over residential areas around Los Angeles in early 2025, Gupta said these issues should be more seriously considered by government officials.
Currently local municipalities in Ontario drive guidelines for wildfire proofing and design, but Gupta says federal and provincial governments should be part of that effort.
"One of the key challenges is that we already have a lot of homes and buildings in Ontario, so we need to come up with fast solutions to retrofit … where we can fireproof them," he said.
People should regularly clear yards and gutters for flammable materials and consider what their fences and decks are made of, he said.