Ministry is asking for help from the public to figure out who started the fire
The forestry ministry in Ontario is asking for help to find the person they think started and then left a fire on an island west of Ottawa that got out of hand earlier this month.
The fire started on June 4 and quickly spread to the mainland, reaching a peak size of about 45 hectares and forcing people to leave their homes and cottages around Centennial Lake.
Those people were able to go back to their homes on June 9, the same day the fire was called out. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry says that it is still burning and that there is a high risk of fire in the area.
In a news release on Thursday, that ministry said that whoever started the fire may have used a boat launch near Wolfe Rapids Road at the north end of the lake. There is a tip line, and anyone with information can also call a ministry office or Crime Stoppers.
Since June 1, the province has made it illegal to burn in this area, which is about 50 km west of Calabogie and 170 km west of downtown Ottawa.
The three fires that are still burning in eastern Ontario and western Quebec are under control, but the fire risk is growing because it is getting hotter and there is no sign of rain.
Quebec’s forest minister said on Wednesday that firefighters are about to lose control of dozens of fires that they had been able to put out before.