The northwestern Ontario community is abuzz with news that There were 140 active wildland fires burning in northwestern Ontario as of Monday evening,according to Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources.
Of those, 47 were listed as not under control, six were being held, seven were under control, and the rest were being observed. The largest wildfire in the region, known as Thunder Bay 36, remains out of control, and spans more than 318,000 hectares. "FireRanger crews, helicopters and heavy equipment operators are assigned to suppression efforts," Ontario's Aviation, Forest Fires and Critical incident Services (AFFES) advised in Monday evening's update.
"Favourable weather conditions have helped to reduce fire behaviour, allowing for crews to make good progress on the fire line." Forest fire danger ratings are mostly low across the northwest region, with areas of moderate hazard in the Kenora, Dryden and Fort Frances sectors, and a pocket of high hazard in the Sioux Lookout area. According to the province'sinteractive highway map, the closure of Highway 527 at Gull Bay First Nation has been extended to the Highway 811 junction. Highway 811 is also closed due to ongoing wildfire activity, apart from regional traffic evacuating the area. In an update issued Monday evening, the Ontario Provincial Law enforcement (OPP) North West Region confirmed, "The OPP is currently assisting the MNR with an evacuation order of Gull Bay First Nation, which was previously under a self-evacuation.
Four FireRanger crews are continuing to make good progress on this fire." Forest fire danger ratings range from low to moderate across the northeast, with a pocket of high hazard in the Cochrane district.
Individuals living in areas under mandatory evacuation orders have been asked to leave their residence immediately and seek safety away from active fires." "Other communities are being monitored, and residents are encouraged to stay informed and be prepared to act quickly should further evacuation orders or advisories be issued," the release continued. "Additional information will be issued as it becomes available." As of Monday evening, there were 43 active wildland fires in the northeast region. Of these, five were not under control, one was being held, five were under control, and the rest were being observed. In aFacebook post on Monday, the province noted that "Wawa 17 is not under control at 37.2 hectares and is located approximately 15 kilometres northeast of Pic Mobert and east of White Lake. Four FireRanger crews are continuing to make good progress on this fire." Forest fire danger ratings range from low to moderate across the northeast, with a pocket of high hazard in the Cochrane district. This year’s wildfire season has forced more than a dozen communities and areas to evacuate in recent days, including 10 First Nations. As of Monday,roughly 2,415 people had evacuated to host communities across Ontario, including Thunder Bay, Kenora, Fort Frances, Lac Seul, Sioux Lookout, Red Lake, Barrie, Niagara Falls and Toronto. A total of 312 air purifiers, 84 air filters and five air scrubbers have also been deployed to several communities affected by wildfire smoke, according to the Ontario Corps. As part of these efforts, Feed Ontario and the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres are transporting and distributing food to evacuees. GlobalMedic has also delivered essential supplies to the city reception centre at the Fort William Gardens. As of Monday, the Lakehead of the city was reopening many outdoor facilities and programs that were temporarily impacted bywildfire smoke. Community crews are expected to resume outdoor work with enhanced health and safety measures, including, where appropriate, respiratory protection and more frequent breaks. Essential urban centre services, including transit and crisis services, are also running. The community remarked it will continue to monitor conditions closely and is prepared to adjust operations should air quality deteriorate. It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered onCBC Gem..
Community members are encouraged to stay informed and share this information with friends and family. Following trusted local news sources helps ensure everyone stays up to date with events and announcements affecting Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario.
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📍 Source: CBC News Thunder Bay · By: CBC News Staff · 🗓️ July 21, 2026 · 🏠 ThunderBay.Online
