Kenora Fire 18 threatens cabins, power lines
Minnesota is sending aircraft to battle a growing wildfire west of Kenora, Ontario, that threatens lake cabins and power lines west of the city.
The Kenora Fire 18 fire has grown to over 12,000 acres and is burning in an area with extreme fire danger.
Minnesota is sending resources to help battle the blaze. Here's an update from the Minnesota Incident Command System.
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Minnesota is sending an interagency aviation package of two US Forest Service-contacted Type 1 retardant tankers, a lead plane, and a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources air attack to Kenora Fire 18 this afternoon under cooperative agreements between the provinces of Manitoba and Ontario, the United States and the Great Lakes Forest Fire Compact.
Kenora Fire 18 is over 5,000 hectares (over 12,000 acres) and is exhibiting extreme fire behavior under windy, dry conditions. The US aircraft will drop retardant to protect two targets. The first is a high tension powerline with a large right-of-way with grasses. The powerline provides power to Kenora, a city of 15,000 population. The second target is a railroad and high-value homes and cottages near Caddy Lake.
The air tankers will reload at a Minnesota air base (Ely or Bemidji).
Minnesota develops interagency and international quick strike agreements during the off-season when fire danger is low. The agreement allows single-day operations, coordinated with Canadian and US Customs and Border Protection, to allow expedited crossing of the international border for firefighting aircraft.
Minnesota takes advantage of this arrangement bringing in CL415 water scooping aircraft and Bird Dogs (air attack planes) from both Manitoba and Ontario when needed. This will be the first time an eastern US state has sent retardant tankers to Canada.
Forecast: rain
There's good news in the weather forecast for fires in southern Canada. Our slow moving low-pressure system should drop significant rainfall in the area in the next 48 hours. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's NAM 4 km model rainfall output lays down some 1 inch-plus totals north of the border.
The rains this week should dramatically reduce fire danger for at least the next several days.