MP Clement tours Parry Sound 33 forest fire scene

PARRY SOUND — With four new fires Monday and the winds from Parry Sound 33 blowing smoke that could be smelled across Muskoka, MP Tony Clement, toured the region affected by wild fires yesterday.

MP Tony Clement got a look at the fire scene on the ground and in the air Monday.

The Parry Souned-Muskoka MP met with first responders and community leaders who are on the front lines of battling the massive blazes and working to keep local residents safe.

A release from Clement said his day started with him meeting OPP Provincial Liaison Officers, Constables Francis Endanawas and Marilyn Cameron, at the Still River OPP detachment. 

From there Clement attended the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) base camp at Britt, where operations to battle the fire known as Parry Sound 33 are centralized.

From the base camp, Clement was given a helicopter tour, seeing first-hand the magnitude of the fire and the large-scale efforts by firefighters from across Canada, the U.S. and Mexico to bring it under control.

“The efforts of all those on the front lines of this massive fire are truly awe-inspiring. These men and women are working tirelessly and around the clock to not only fight the fire, but help the people who have had their lives disrupted. They are truly the heroes behind the scenes,” said Clement in the release.

After surveying the fire from the air, Clement travelled to the French River Provincial Park Visitors Centre, where the OPP and MNRF joint command post is situated. There he was briefed on operations and received an up-to-the-minute status on the fire and efforts to keep the public and local residents out of its path. Clement met there with the superintendents of Massasauga, Grundy Lake, and French River Provincial Parks over lunch.

All three of the parks have been evacuated.

“Alongside the police, firefighters and community leaders, so many Parry Sounders and people living across the region have pitched in to help with volunteer hours, food and donations. It has been heartening to see the display of humanity in this time of crisis.

“I also know Parry Sound is ramping up for the coming long weekend, and businesses are sending a message that they are open and ready to welcome visitors,” said Clement. “Also of importance is a massive fire ban remains in place across the Parry Sound region, which includes fireworks. Officials are asking everyone to heed the ban.”