Extreme forest fire activity in the region, especially in the Cochrane-Iroquois Falls area, means restrictions on travelling bush roads south of Cochrane and in the Lake Abitibi area.
MNRF Northeastern Region fire advisor Shayne McCool says those roads are listed on the ministry’s forest fire website.
“Just so that our firefighters can continue doing the work they need to do on the suppression activities around the fire,” he explains, “and also making sure that people aren’t venturing into areas that are unsafe.”
If you need to travel through, you can apply for a travel permit at the MNRF district office in Cochrane.
“There’s information on our website on how to go about contacting the local district office,” says McCool. “They’ll be assessing whether or not to provide permits to folks on an individual basis.”
He adds that there’s always a ban on flying within 10 km of any forest fire, and the ministry can increase that limit.
CLOSED ROADS
- Reaume Esker Rd., beginning where it intersects with the town dump road
- Potter RD., west of the TransCanada Energy Plant
- Connaught-Evelyn* Rd., north of the Pallet Lake access point.
-Source: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry