A forest and bog fire burning in the Township of North Dundas is now mostly under control following overnight rainfall and firefighting efforts, the township said Tuesday morning.
The blaze burning just south of Ottawa is now estimated to be about a tenth of its original size, down from the large 100-acre (or 0.4 square-kilometre) blaze that erupted in the Alvin Runnalls Forest over the weekend.
“Much of the fire is now smouldering at the surface, or underground,” the township said in a
release
on Tuesday morning, adding firefighters were reporting no open flames.
The township declared a state of emergency on Monday after the fire ripped through the forest, with firefighting efforts complicated by the remote nature of the fire and limited access to the forest.
Crews were successful in containing the fire to the forest, the township said, with firebreaks and other measures implemented to limit the spread of flames.
Following meetings with the Ministry of Natural Resources, the township said crews will continue to battle the blaze from the ground. Following drought-like conditions this summer, underground hotspots sit as low as 50 cm below the surface.
“It has been determined that the best course of action now is to fight the fire on the ground. Air assets, at this time, would not provide the most efficient avenue for extinguishing the fire,” the township said.
The township said its fire services are expected to invoke mutual-aid agreements with neighbouring fire crews to allow for the respite of their firefighters.
No information has been released about the cause of the fire, but the township previously said police were investigating.
The Alvin Runnalls Forest remains closed until further notice, the township said, with residents asked to avoid the area.
