Residents of Thunder Bay are learning that The Municipality of Thunder Bay and Ontario’s Aviation, Forest Fire and Urgent response Services (AFFES) are advising those in northwestern Ontario to be cautious with fire-associated activities over the August long weekend.
A restricted fire zone (RFZ) remains in effect until further notice for the entire northwest and a small portion of the northeastregionsdue to increased forest fire activity, the current fire load and to reduce human-caused wildfires, declared Alison Bezubiak, a fire information officer with AFFES. “The forest fire danger rating is mainly moderate to high across the region today [Thursday] and recent precipitation has been accompanied by significant lightning activity,” Bezubiak declared. “Forest fuels remain very dry and susceptible to holdover ignitions caused by lightning.
In some cases, lightning can ignite deep-burning wildfires on or below the forest floor that remain undetected for several days.” How to reduce forest fire risk and the likelihood of property damage in the northwestern Ontario hub, Ont. As conditions dry following a storm, she explained that these holdover blazes can become visible and spread, with new lightning-caused blazes appearing up to a week later. “With warm, dry days in the forecast, our staff will continue to monitor the landscape for new starts following recent storm activity and increased fire behaviour,” Bezubiak noted. With the long weekend approaching, Bezubiak stated they call for the public to use extreme caution with all outdoor activities and brush up on therules that apply in an RFZ.
In addition, he declared people should be cautious with smoking, ensuring they put out cigarette butts properly in a wet container and not in an outdoor ashtray or bucket that may be able to catch fire.
She advised anyone responsible for a fire caused by fireworks could also be charged under the Wildland Fire Management Act and may be held responsible for the total costs of putting it out. It’s also key to check with neighborhood municipalities in the event they’ve implemented a fire ban in addition to the RFZ, as area by-laws may be more stringent, Bezubiak added. Afire ban went into effectfor Thunder Bay as a result of the region’s extreme fire hazard on July 14. Similar to the RFZ, the fire ban does not authorize open-air burning within the affected areas’ boundaries, including campfires and recreational wood blazes. All fire permits are also suspended. “Sparks can fly around and maybe get bigger and the wind might blow them around. So that’s why those types of blazes are banned,” advised Kevin Anderson, the Thunder Bay Fire Rescue’s division chief of fire prevention. 'A big difference': Small fire departments in area of northwestern Ontario wildfires get new supplies “Areas that have special occasion fire permits, like the baseball games and that, they’ve all been banned for now until the fire ban has been lifted,” Anderson confirmed, noting that fireworks are also not allowed in residents’ backyards. In addition, he declared people should be cautious with smoking, ensuring they put out cigarette butts properly in a wet container and not in an outdoor ashtray or bucket that may be able to catch fire. However, propane or natural gas fire bowls and tables, enclosed wood-burning stoves — such as pizza ovens for cooking, wood boilers or a sauna — and fuel-fired and charcoal barbecues are still allowed, Anderson remarked. Going into the August long weekend, he reminds residents not to burn open wildfires and to remain very cautious if they use barbecues or other kinds of propane appliances — keep them away from combustibles, follow the manufacturer’s recommendations and likely not use them if it’s windy. “Although we’re getting some rain today [Thursday]. that’s going to help, there still are a lot of active blazes in the area. So the ban will continue on until that fire risk lowers,” Anderson noted. “There’s a lack of resources because there are so many wildfires. So any other additional fire would just be really strenuous on the resources. So any one we can avoid is just all the better so that the crews can catch up and get some blazes under control,” Anderson stated. The fire hazard has also decreased, Anderson added, but people should still be prepared if something happens. “Maybe you’re in a more rural area of Thunder Bay where a fire could be approaching — it’s always good to be ready to have to make that move quickly,” Anderson shared. Nicky Shaw is a reporter for CBC Thunder Bay. She graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism and a minor in Environmental and Climate Humanities from Carleton University. Aligning with her passion for covering global environmental and humanitarian issues, she has worked to develop in-depth multimedia content that shares the diverse experiences of people in Northwestern Ontario. 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 31, 2026 · 🏠 ThunderBay.Online
