**REPOST** AMAZING FOOTAGE OF A FOREST FIRE OUTSIDE OF A TOWN CALLED WHITE RIVER IN NORTHERN ONTARIO

Описание: Today while driving home from Thunder Bay I came across what appeared to be a small fire in the forest near a small village called White River. The village is located in Northern Ontario, along Highway 17 of the Trans-Canada Highway approximately 250 km west of Sault Ste Marie. I immediately called 911 and using the “What 3 Words” app I was able to give the 911 call taker the exact location, not that it was needed because as I continued driving I was pulled over by an OPP officer for using my phone while driving. Luckily I was not given a ticket.

After speaking with the 911 call taker who advised me he would notify the local fire department as well as the Ministry of Natural Resources I quickly decided to turn around and go watch the fire. It didn’t take long for heavy smoke to be coming from the woods going across the Highway. Within 15 minutes a helicopter could be seen circling the fire and 20 minutes later a small airplane was circling the scene with a siren activated. During this time the fire quickly spread through the dry trees, flames could be seen shooting 50 feet into the air. The sky was quickly overrun with thick smoke with coles and ash falling from the sky. The heat from the flames were intense, I could feel it over 75 feet away. The local fire department only had a couple firefighters on scene but they quickly ensured nobody was in the wooded picnic area and then went to work extinguishing pop up fires caused from the hot coles falling. According to a local firefighter the area has received very little rainfall so far this year and with the winds the fire can spread at very dangerous rates.

Within 20 mins of both aircraft’s arriving a large firefighting waterbomber was on scene immediately dropping loads of water. It took approximately 10 minutes for a round trip of loading the plane and dropping the water. It’s unknown how many loads were dropped but it was amazing watching the pilots dropping the water with pin point accuracy as I was standing metres away from them dropping the water.

Highway 17 which is the main highway from Sault Ste Marie to Thunder Bay was closed by the OPP, the cause of the fire is unknown at this time and no injuries were reported. Unfortunately I had to move on but not before shooting over 30 minutes of intense footage. As of 6pm the Highway had been reopened and according to the MNR website the fire is still active.

Be sure to check this intense footage of a forest fire up close as well as being metres away from waterbombers dropping their loads of water.