Residents of Thunder Bay are learning that There are 112 active wildfires in northwestern Ontario, according to the fresh report published Sunday night from Ontario's Aviation, Forest Fire and Crisis Services (AFFES).
Of those, 12 are not under control, seven are being held, six are under control and the rest are being observed. There were three new wildfires confirmed in the northwest region as of Sunday evening. The forest fire hazard is mostly low and moderate across northwestern Ontario, with pockets of high hazard across the southwestern parts of the region and around Lake Nipigon.
About 1,638 people from the region remain under evacuation due to wildfires as of Thursday, according toJill Dunlop,the province's minister of crisis preparedness and response. "The number of evacuees is reported into the Provincial Urgent situation Operations Centre (PEOC) by the public leadership. Evacuation numbers may fluctuate as the public leadership confirm the total number of evacuated citizens members with the ministry," wrote spokesperson Julia Facca on last Wednesday. The ministry has held over 100 coordination calls with First Nation chiefs, leaders and communities, crisis management organizations, municipalities and the federal government since the first Request for Assistance was received on July 14, according toDunlop.
Restrictions remain for other wildfires in the area.
Those under evacuation orders are required to leave the area, while those under evacuation alerts are pressed to prepare to evacuate. 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. However, updates have been made to the implementation order currently in effect for active Thunder Bay 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 evacuation alerts around active forest fire Fort Frances 13, known as the "Little Knife" fire in Minnesota, have been lifted. The AFFES remarked suppression efforts are ongoing on Fort Frances 13, but there is no longer any worries for public safety relating to the wildfires. Restrictions remain for other wildfires in the area. According to the province'sinteractive highway map, the following roads are closed due to blaze activity: The Ontario Provincial Authorities (OPP) encourage 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: There are currently 44 active wildland blazes in the northeast region. Of those, one is not under control, four are being held, one is under control and 38 are being observed. Forest fire danger ratings are primarily low to moderate across northeastern Ontario, with high-hazard pockets throughout the region. There are 100 contracted aircraft, including seven medium helicopters actively responding during blaze season, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources. It can also access up to 80 additional crews through private contracts if needed. The ministry shared 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 blaze response to inform improvements in planning and response. There have also been four Ontario Corps collaborators and 17 Ontario Corps volunteers sent to help. The province declared 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 11, 2026 · 🏠 ThunderBay.Online
