Friday Morning News – August 16

Weather:

• Today – Showers. Risk of a thunderstorm late this afternoon. Local amount 10 to 15 mm. High 19.
• Tonight – Cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers. Risk of a thunderstorm this evening. Low 16.

Northeast Forest Fire Region Update:

• There are 26 active wildland fires in the Northeast Region. Of these, 4 are under control, 6 are not under control and 19 are being observed. Of interest to travellers Hwy 144 is Timmins 11, located on the west side of Chute Lake, approximately 0.6 kilometres east of Hwy 144 and 5 kilometres northwest of Gogama. There were anecdotal reports last night that there was moderate to heavy smoke on Hwy 144 and embers visible. This may mean that depending on the fire’s actions and direction of burning – the highway may be closed for periods of time for motorists safety. However, there is a crew and air attack responding to this fire.
• The fire hazard is primarily high across most of the Northeast Region with some areas showing a moderate fire hazard, such as the most southern part of the fire region. Areas of Espanola, Capreol, and Temiskaming Shores, has an extreme fire hazard.

News Tidbits:

• Don’t forget this weekend is the Annual Winnie the Pooh Festival in White River!
• The Split the Pot Lottery has announced that this month there has been phenomenal support with ticket sales this month surpassing $1,000,000. This means a larger payout for ticket purchasers as well as more money to support health care. Your ticket purchase can be directed to a specific local hospital partner or shared equally among all 62 hospital partners by selecting “All Participating Hospitals” at checkout. The Lady Dunn Health Centre is a member of this lottery!