Fire risk grows with lightning strikes in northwestern Ontario

A number of thunderstorms have moved through northwestern Ontario over the past week, and wildfire officials say they'll be keeping a close eye on the forest.

Lightning strikes start a large number of blazes, especially in the far north, said Deb MacLean, a fire information officer with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. Ministry staff will monitor areas where lightning has hit — even several days after a storm.

"What we find is that a strike of lightning can hit the ground, it can hit a tree, and smoulder, especially if there's a little bit of rain with that storm system," she said. "When the weather clears — boom, we've got a fire."

MacLean noted the ministry has a lightning locator system. It also uses similar systems owned by other agencies to collect data.

The fire hazard is low in southern parts of the region, and moderate in the north, as of Tuesday morning, according to ministry data.