Local authorities in Thunder Bay report that Eight new wildfires were confirmed in northwestern Ontario by the evening of Aug.
1, bringing the total number of active blazes in the region up to 130. The provincial Aviation, Forest Fire and Urgent response Services (AFFES) agency advised of the active blazes, 30 are not under control, 10 are being held, five are under control, and 85 are being observed. Wildfires of note include the Rinker Lake Complex fire, which includes Thunder Bay 36 and 54, and Dryden 34 and 35.
AFFES advised an incident management team has taken command of the fire, with 14 wildland firefighters from Ontario and Alberta, and 20 from Mexico, assigned. The blazes that make up the cluster have seen an rise in fire activity over the last few days, with Thunder Bay 36 currently at more than 313,000 hectares in size and not under control. The Atikokan Cluster, meanwhile, includes Fort Frances 14, 15, and 38, and a crew of wildland firefighters from Mexico were placed on the fire line on Saturday. AFFES indicated crews are working from multiple locations along the fire perimeter, with support from helicopters.
The forest fire hazard is mostly moderate to high across the northwest, with some areas of extreme hazard in the western and northern parts of the region.
About 1,876 people from northwestern Ontario remain under evacuation due to wildfires in the region as of Friday afternoon, according to a spokesperson for the province's minister of urgent response preparedness and response. The ministry has held over 100 co-ordination calls with First Nation chiefs, leaders and communities, critical incident management organizations, municipalities and the federal government since the first Request for Assistance was received on July 14, according toMinister Jill Dunlop. "The number of evacuees is reported into the Provincial Critical incident Operations Centre (PEOC) by the public leadership. Evacuation numbers may fluctuate as the area leadership confirm the total number of evacuated the area members with the ministry," wrote spokesperson Julia Facca on Wednesday. Eabametoong First Nation is planning to start sending evacuees home from Niagara Falls as early as Friday,the area posted on Facebook. Meanwhile, other communities, such as Gull Bay First Nation, are urging those who have not left the area to do so as quickly as possible. "I would not ask you to leave your home or our land if it were not truly necessary. But for your own safety, and for the safety of our the area and our responders, please leave now," Gull Bay's Chief Wilfred Kingwrote in a area notice on Wednesday. Those under evacuation orders are required to leave the area, while those under evacuation alerts are recommended to prepare to evacuate. The Ministry of Natural Resources' Thunder Bay–Ignace District has invoked implementation orders near the following blazes: Implementation orders limit people's ability to travel in and around these wildfires. Northwestern Ontario and a small portion of northeastern Ontario remain under arestricted fire zone, which means no open-air burning, including campfires, is allowed. Notice to Air Missions, or NOTAMs, have also been released for Thunder Bay 36 and Fort Frances 14. The forest fire hazard is mostly moderate to high across the northwest, with some areas of extreme hazard in the western and northern parts of the region. According to the province'sinteractive highway map, the following roads are closed due to forest fire activity: The Ontario Provincial Law enforcement (OPP) call for people for their safety and the safety of urgent response responders to: Mail delivery has been suspended in the following communities due to blaze activity: AFFES advised there are currently45active wildfires in the northeast, with three are not under control, four being held, four under control, and the remainder are being observed. Fire hazard levels are mostly moderate to high across the northeast, with areas of low hazard around Sault Ste. Marie, Bruce Mines, Elliot Lake, North Bay, and on the shore of Hudson Bay. There are 100 contracted aircraft, including seven medium helicopters actively responding during forest fire season, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources. It can also access up to 80 additional crews through private contracts if needed. The ministry confirmed it is providing an additional $650 million to buy six new waterbombers and five new helicopters. It has also added 170 new permanent fire personnel positions, including crew lead roles, and increased compensation for staff, including firefighters and pilots. The ministry will conduct an after-action review of its forest fire response to inform improvements in planning and response. There have also been four Ontario Corps organizations and 17 Ontario Corps volunteers sent to help. The province advised the following equipment/supplies have been provided: Air purifiers, air scrubbers and replacement filters, in particular, were sent to five First Nations, allowing them to remain in their communities. As part of these efforts, Feed Ontario and the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres are also shipping and distributing food to evacuees. In addition, the Kaministiquia and Upsala fire departments were among some regional fire services to receive wildland fire skids from GlobalMedic. Mexico, Alberta, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, the Yukon, PEI, the Canadian Forest Service and the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre have also offeredprovince-wide assistance. The Municipality of Thunder Bay moved from active urgent situation co-ordination to enhanced monitoring. How to reduce blaze risk and the likelihood of property damage in the northwestern Ontario hub, Ont. Residents are encouraged to take steps to reduce forest fire risk around their homes and properties by followingFireSmart principles. 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 · 🗓️ August 03, 2026 · 🏠 ThunderBay.Online
