Fall Fire Reminder

The current fire ban imposed across our region reminds me of a disturbing and scary experience I had last year. Last fall I took my last fishing trip with my father in law into Cross Lake for late season bass. It wasn't a productive trip for bass, but I was glad I went. There were very few people on the lake, and especially in Cross. As we entered the northeast arm of Cross Lake, we passed by the first big island with a campsite on our right. The sight even from the moderate distance of the main channel of the arm caused me some concern. I stopped the boat and grabbed my camera, using my zoom lens as binoculars.

My suspicions were confirmed, it was indeed smoke I saw rising from the middle of the island, and there was no one near the source. A slightly more detailed look showed the black trail that the fire had made from a campfire along the shore into the bush behind. A scan of the area showed a blue and white houseboat leaving the campsite at the southern end of the island. I tried my VHF radio, hoping I could reach base from Cross Lake. I could not. There was simply too much distance and high ground between me and home base.

We quickly scouted the area to assess the fire condition. My experience as a volunteer firefighter gave me the knowledge of what to look for, and it took no time to see that the fire had gone underground and was in serious danger of becoming a forest fire if the conditions changed. It was also something we couldn't fight ourselves with the small pail we had. We left and caught up with the houseboat leaving the area in hopes of a higher antenna being able to reach out further. We stopped the boat and talked to the friendly folks on board. They used their radio and called back to their base at the hub of Lake Temagami, who relayed the message to the MNR about the fire.

We returned to the fire site and proceeded to put water on the areas that were starting to come to the surface around some of the trees, fire licking at their trunks. As water ran through the top layer of soil to the rocks below, you could hear the intense sizzling as water vaporized against the superheated rocks below. We did what we could, then continued fishing. As we fished in a secluded bay, the weather turned to drizzle, and a short time later we heard the faint sound of a water pump running.

We gave up on our fruitless fishing expedition and headed for home, noting the MNR boat and firefighter hosing the fire site with a portable pump and fire hose only a few hours after our first spotting the smoke and having it called in. I applaud the fast response of the MNR to the ticking timebomb of a forest fire in the making. It would have been a sad sight this year if the island, and who knows how much more of the surrounding forest, would have been nothing but cinders and blackened trees standing in the wilderness.

I don't know who was on the houseboat, but it could have been any boat, and anyone who was leaving the campsite. They had been there three days and had seen the smoke, and no one around, but had done NOTHING. They did not think it strange, they did not investigate, and they continued about their business, leaving a smoking island at the end of their stay. Please, I beg of you, DO NOT display that same ignorance when you are enjoying the Temagami wilderness this season. I am not using this story to point fingers, but to be a somber reminder that we all have a serious part to play in fire safety. With the fire ban on, the forest is tinder dry. If you see smoke, investigate. It doesn't matter if there is a fire ban on or not, if there is no one around the smoke, it deserves closer attention. If there is a fire ban on, it deserves immediate attention, even with people around. They need to be told that a fire ban is in effect and that the fire must be put out.

If you are found responsible for a forest fire, you will be liable for the cost incurred fighting the fire, and I'm sure those water bombers and helicopters aren't cheap. So be smart. Make sure that when you are able to have a campfire, that it is out and cold to the touch before you leave. Douse the fire with water, then turn your leftover wood to expose the undersides and douse it again. Continue doing so, turning and dousing with water, until it is cold. Don't be like the folks this weekend whom I watched setting off fireworks and throwing caution to the wind. Don't toss your butts to the ground without making sure they are out. One spark is all it takes. Let's all work together to make sure the Temagami wilderness is here for all to enjoy for years to come.