North Dundas Township officials announced an end to the municipality’s State of Emergency Monday afternoon (September 29) as the bog and forest fire in the Alvin Runnalls Forest near Morewood is now considered under control.
North Dundas declared the emergency as a forest fire in the conservation area spread to the Morewood Bog, which intersects with the forest. Bog fires are difficult to contain as they primarily burn underground, sometimes for weeks or even months.
Firefighting efforts, which began around September 21 when the fire was first detected, were aided by favourable weather as rain blanketed the region mid-week. In a September 24 update, North Dundas Fire Chief Kreg Raistrick said in an update that chances of the fire spreading beyond the 10-12 acre (four hectare) containment zone had been “drastically reduced.
A crew of about 30 firefighters from North Dundas, North Stormont, and South Dundas identified and extinguished hot spots inside the containment area.
By Friday (September 26), the fire was fully contained with all visible signs of fire removed. The smell of smoke in the area was also “drastically reduced.”
Raistrick said Friday that if there were no signs of smoke or fire from the scene over the next seven days, the fire would be considered extinguished.
“There remains little to no evidence of fire at the forest,” municipal officials said Monday afternoon (September 29) as the State of Emergency was lifted.
In an update from North Dundas Mayor Tony Fraser, posted to social media, he said there were no indications of heat in the area.
“Everything has calmed down. Our fire crews of North Dundas and those from outside of North Dundas have done a wonderful job in containing, controlling, and extinguishing the fire,” he said. “It was nice that we all came together as a community, worked hard, had the best wishes for our firefighters – here we are with the good result.”
Fire officials will continue to monitor the area for the remainder of the week, and access to the forest is not allowed. An investigation into the cause of the fire remains ongoing.