Thunder Bay, ON — 131 active wildfires are burning in northwestern Ontario, with 30 listed as not under control, according to the latest update from Ontario Forest Fires.
The largest wildfire in the region, known as Thunder Bay 36, also remains out of control and spans more than 315,000 hectares. The Ministry of Natural Resources indicated the Thunder Bay–Ignace Districthas invoked an implementation orderfor areas near Fort Frances 14 for public safety and fire suppression. An implementation order allows the ministry to issue formal,legally bindingorders that restrict activities and manage access inside urgent situation boundaries.
"Even when fire behaviour looks minimal, large wildland fires may remain classified as NUC [not under control] for longer because it takes time to ensure the entire perimeter is contained," the ministry noted on Thursday. "We advise the public to stay clear of all active fires in their area. Doing so will interfere with ongoing suppression efforts and could put FireRangers and aircraft at risk." The Pan Canadian Aerial Asset Program managed by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre have sent two Q400 airtankers and a birddog to help in the region. Six AT-802 aircraft and a crew of 12 were also mobilized from Alberta to support wildland fire suppression efforts.
Of these, two are not under control, one is being held, three are under control and the rest are being observed.
In addition, an Alberta incident management team has taken over the Highway 599 fire cluster in the Sioux Lookout sector, including SLK084, SLK086 and SLK089. The cluster of fires has exhibited minimal fire behaviour over the past few days, but remains uncontrolled, according to Ontario Forest Fires. As of Saturday evening, forest fire danger ratings have transitioned to mostly low and somewhat moderate across the northwest. However, there are pockets of high hazard within the Kenora and Thunder Bay districts, including one extreme-hazard pocket near Dryden. The restricted fire zone in the northwest region and a small portion of the northeast remain in effect for zones one to 13. According to the province'sinteractive highway map, the closure of Highway 527 at Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek — Gull Bay First Nation — remains in effect and is still extended to the Highway 811 junction. Highway 811 is also closed due to ongoing wildfire activity, with the exception of community traffic evacuating the area. The Ontario Provincial Officers (OPP) urge people for their safety and the safety of urgent response responders to: There are39active wildfires in the northeast region as of the evening. Of these, two are not under control, one is being held, three are under control and the rest are being observed. Forest fire danger ratings are mostly low to moderate across the northeast, with a pocket of high hazard spanning from the Greater Sudbury area to Westport. Ontario Forest Fires posted on Friday that the northeast portion of the current restricted fire zone in zones 16, 17 and the small portion of Zone 20 is no longer required. It has been revoked effective Saturday, July 25. There are now more than 2,830 wildfire evacuees from more than a dozen communities across the province, according to anupdateissued by Ontario's Minister of Crisis Preparedness and Response, Jill Dunlop, on Friday evening. There have been four Ontario Corps partners and 17 Ontario Corps volunteers sent to help. As well, the province says the following equipment/supplies have been provided: 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 evacuation reception centre at the Fort William Gardens Arena in Thunder Bay. In addition, the Kaministiquia and Upsala fire departments were among some regional fire services to receive wildland fire skids from GlobalMedic. The Urban centre of the northwestern Ontario hub has moved from active urgent response co-ordination to enhanced monitoring. "Wildfire conditions across northwestern Ontario remain serious but stable. and no new evacuations are anticipated at this time," the municipality saidin an update late Wednesday afternoon. How to reduce wildfire risk and the likelihood of property damage in Thunder Bay, Ont. Residents are encouraged to take steps to reduce wildfire risk around their homes and properties by following FireSmart principles, including: More information about FireSmart practices is available atwww.firesmartcanada.ca. 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.
🔗 Read the original report from CBC News Thunder Bay
For more local news, weather, sports, events, and community updates across Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario, visit ThunderBay.Online — your trusted source for everything happening in the region.
📍 Source: CBC News Thunder Bay · By: CBC News Staff · 🗓️ July 25, 2026 · 🏠 ThunderBay.Online
