Residents of Thunder Bay are learning that There are 113 active wildfires in northwestern Ontario, according to the most recent report from Ontario's Aviation, Forest Fire and Urgent response Services (AFFES) published Thursday night.
Of these, 17 are not under control, 10 are being held, two are under control and the rest are being observed. The forest fire hazard is mostly low and somewhat moderate across the northwest. Although there is a pocket of high hazard close to the Manitoba-border About 1,638 people from the region remain under evacuation due to wildfires as of Thursday, according toJill Dunlop,the province's minister of urgent situation preparedness and response.
"The number of evacuees is reported into the Provincial Critical incident Operations Centre (PEOC) by the region leadership. Evacuation numbers may fluctuate as the region leadership confirm the total number of evacuated the area members with the ministry," wrote spokesperson Julia Facca on last Wednesday. The ministry has held over 100 co-ordination calls with First Nation chiefs, leaders and communities, urgent response management organizations, municipalities and the federal government since the first Request for Assistance was received on July 14, according toDunlop. Those under evacuation orders are required to leave the area, while those under evacuation alerts are encouraged to prepare to evacuate.
Of these, one is not under control, one is being held, two are under control and the rest are being observed.
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 published for Thunder Bay 36 and Fort Frances 14. However, updates have been made to the implementation order currently in effect for active the northwestern Ontario hub 36, 56 and Dryden 34, 35 in the city–Ignace District on Friday, removingsome areas previously included. The Ministry of Natural Resources’ Thunder Bay-Ignace District also invoked an updatedimplementation order for areas near Fort Frances 14as of Aug. 1, meaning travel is restricted in the specified area. The implementation and evacuation orders around active forest fire Dryden 36 have been revoked as of Friday. According to the province'sinteractive highway map, the following roads are closed due to forest fire activity: The Ontario Provincial Officers (OPP) push for people for their safety and the safety of critical incident responders to: Mail delivery has been suspended in the following communities due to blaze activity: There are 42 active wildfires in the northeast. Of these, one is not under control, one is being held, two are under control and the rest are being observed. Forest fire danger ratings are primarily high across northeastern Ontario, with extreme-hazard pockets in the far north and near Timmins. Pockets of low and moderate hazard are also visible in the southern portion of the region. 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 remarked it is providing an additional $650 million to procurement 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 indicated 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. 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 · 🗓️ August 07, 2026 · 🏠 ThunderBay.Online
