Thunder Bay, ON — There were 146 active wildfires burning in northwestern Ontario as of Tuesday night, according to Ontario's Aviation, Forest Fire and Urgent response Services.
Of these, 53 are listed as not under control, five are being held, seven are under control, and the rest are 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 Urgent response Services (AFFES) noted in Tuesday evening's update.
"Recent precipitation over the last several days has 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 areas — except for a pocket of high hazard in the Sioux Lookout area. "With cooler temperatures and cloud cover, fire activity on existing fires has remained minimal," Ontario Forest Fires shared in a Facebook post on Tuesday. "Although the fire hazard remains low across the northwest region, lightning associated with overnight precipitation still has the potential to cause new fire starts. The public is advised to exercise extreme caution, as holdover lightning fires may emerge in the coming days." According to the province'sinteractive highway map, the closure of Highway 527 at Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek — Gull Bay First Nation — has been extended to the Highway 811 junction.
Of these, four are not under control, four are under control, and the rest are being observed.
Highway 811 is also closed due to ongoing wildfire activity, with the exception of area traffic evacuating the area. The First Nation is now under a mandatory evacuation order after lightning brought the total number of wildfires surrounding the area to six, according to a release issued by the citizens early Tuesday morning. In an update issued Monday evening, the Ontario Provincial Law enforcement (OPP) North West Region remarked: "The OPP is currently assisting the MNR with an evacuation order of Gull Bay First Nation, which was previously under a self-evacuation. Individuals living in areas under mandatory evacuation orders have been asked to leave their residence immediately and seek safety away from active fires." The authorities stated 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. As of Tuesday night, there were 40 active wildfires in the northeast region. Of these, four are not under control, four are under control, and the rest are being observed. Forest fire danger ratings are low across the northeast, with a pocket of moderate hazard in the North Bay area. This year’s wildfire season has forced more than a dozen communities and areas to evacuate in recent days, including 11 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 sent 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 shipping and distributing food to evacuees. GlobalMedic has also delivered essential supplies to the reception centre at the Fort William Gardens Arena in the Lakehead region. As of Tuesday, the Air Quality Health Index for the Lakehead region was at low-risk conditions throughout the day, but air quality is expected to worsen again with moderate risk tonight and into Wednesday. The Lakehead of the Lakehead has resumed normal operations of all facilities, outdoor programs, parks, beaches, pools and recreational amenities that were temporarily impacted bywildfire smoke. Municipality crews have also resumed regular outdoor work and will continue to monitor conditions. The municipality also indicated it remains prepared to support regional response efforts and additional evacuations should the need arise, and will continue to work closely with crisis management partners across the region. 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..
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📍 Source: CBC News Thunder Bay · By: CBC News Staff · 🗓️ July 22, 2026 · 🏠 ThunderBay.Online
