Premier Doug Ford visits Britt Command Centre, thanks team battling Parry Sound 33

The Premier was in Britt, Ont., Friday afternoon to visit the command centre set up for emergency personnelworking to suppress the forest fire known as Parry Sound 33.

That fire, 90 kilometres south of Sudbury, near the Key River, is still not under control.

As of Friday afternoon it had burned7,297hectares of land.

Doug Ford was accompanied by Natural Resources and Forestry Minister JeffYurek andParrySound-MuskokaMPP Norm Miller.

The visit was unannounced and media was not notified of the plans.

A news release issued by the provincial government, said that Ford also met with people in the affected communities, as well asthe teams fighting the fires and managing the evacuation process.

"It's a terrible thing to have to flee your home because of a forest fire," Ford said in the release.

"These fires have shown how communities in Ontario come together in times of need."

Ford also thanked the fire rangers from Ontario and elsewhere for their efforts to battle the forest fires all across the province.

"I am grateful to the premiers of provinces that are helping Ontario, as well as leaders in the U.S. and Mexico who are providing assistance. We are working side by side as one united community," he said in the release.

There are 90 firefighters working to suppress Parry Sound 33 specifically, including acrew from Mexico thatarrived on Wednesday.

As of July 26, the MNRFsays there were45 active forest fires in northeastern Ontario. Fifteen are not under control yet.

"Our government is doing everything we can to bring these fires under control and keep you safe," said Ford.