Thunder Bay, Ontario — Fire bans are in effect for the Thunder Bay area as wildfires burn across the region.
Bans have been put into effect for the Urban centre of Thunder Bay, Oliver Paipoonge, Neebing, Nolalu, and Dryden due to extreme fire hazard in the area. Thefires have prompted evacuation orders for Armstrong, Whitesand First Nation, and Collins First Nation, with residents of those communities seeking shelter in Thunder Bay. Lac Des Mille Lacs First Nation and Cushing Lake have also been ordered to evacuate, and residents Ignace, Crystal Lake and the Highway 633 area have been advised to prepare for a possible evacuation.
"The smoke was really thick," remarked Diane Laybourne, secretary of the Armstrong Neighborhood Services Board. "We were getting burnt pine needles in our vehicles and just floating around." "When you look to the west, the clouds looked really orange and it wasn't the sun," she indicated. "it was like the reflection of the fire." Laybourne confirmed there's also a fire burning north of Armstrong, but there hasn't yet been any damage to the citizens. Ignace CAO Aaron Gullins declared the town was informed to be on standby for a possible evacuation on Monday night.
Theresa Wabason.
"It's just in preparation for people just to prepare, pack their bags, telling people what they should pack, what they should prepare for," he advised, speaking with CBC News on Tuesday. "We actually, we just got out of a meeting with MNR and. and they advised us that there's been some fortunate weather developments." Gullins indicated the wind has shifted and is now coming from the north west, which is pushing the fire away from Ignace. The fire itself, he remarked, is approximately 25 kilometres south-southwest from Ignace, but its exact size isn't known. "They're estimating it to be about 500 hectares, but they want to really get in a close eye view of the size and scale of this fire," he advised. As of Monday night, there were 128 active blazes in the northwest, according to Ontario's Aviation, Forest Fire and Urgent situation Services. Smoke from blazes in the United States is also drifting in the region, many parts of which remain under orange heat notices put out by Environment Canada. The Lakehead of Thunder Bay, meanwhile, released a media release on Tuesday morning saying there is "no immediate threat to the Lakehead of Thunder Bay" from the wildfires. "However, forest fire conditions can change quickly, and residents are encouraged to remain informed and be prepared." OPP remarked three sections of northwestern Ontario highways are closed due to forest wildfires: "Essentially the Ministry of Natural Resources. takes the lead on any of these incidents and we're a supporting agency, so we work in collaboration with them when it comes to assisting with evacuations of people from any of the areas where they've put out an evacuation order," stated OPP Sgt. Theresa Wabason. "Sometimes the fire can become dangerous with regards to around our highways, whether it be visibility or the fire itself. In those situations, we then close down the highways." OPP also flagged people to stay away from the area of Collins, located about 30 kilometers west of Armstrong. In a media release released Tuesday afternoon, OPP advised they've been " advised that three trains carrying combustible and flammable materials were stopped and staged between mile markers 20 and 23 of the Allanwater Subdivision, near Collins, Ontario, due to forest fire activity in the area," the release states. "While there is no immediate threat to public safety, urgent situation responders and railway spokespersons are working together to assess conditions and support ongoing safety measures." " As a precaution, members of the public are asked to stay away from the affected area and refrain from entering the railway corridor." Efforts are also underway to rescue pets and livestock from areas affected by the blazes. The Thunder Bay The area Pasture, located in O'Connor Township, is helping livestock owners get their animals to safety. "We can accept cattle, horses, sheep, goats, any other kind of small livestock," stated Alexandra Chalifoux, vice-chair of the Thunder Bay The area Pasture. "We also have connections with the Murillo facility and they can open up their doors as well to accept smaller livestock like chickens and turkeys, things like that." Chalifoux confirmed the pasture helped evacuate about 15 horses and 20 heads of cattle from areas affected by the wildfires overnight Monday. More information is available on theThunder Bay Citizens Pasture's Facebook page. Northern Reach Network also put out a call on social media, seeking temporary foster homes in Thunder Bay for pets that have been left behind in the evacuations. The organization advised it will provide needed supplies and supports, as well as veterinary care, for the fostered animals. Laurie Marcil, executive director of Nature and Outdoor Tourism Ontario, stated operators in the region have seen some losses of structures and other tourism assets, although no injuries have been reported. "We've lost some planes, some air bases, and that's devastating for these operators," she confirmed. But, Marcil indicated, operators are working together to evacuate guests if needed, such as those at outpost camps or on canoe trips. "In talking with the operators this morning, they had lots of questions like which wildfires are going to be let to burn?" Marcil declared. "Which ones are the priority to do fire suppression? What's the timing of things?" "Because there's been a loss of some of the planes in the industry, is there going to be some help for them if they don't have enough planes to if they have to do more evacuations? So it's all of these things that are really, really critical right now." "But the way that the industry is coming together and helping one another. it's just really heartwarming." 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: Thunder Bay News · By: Staff Report · 🗓️ August 03, 2026 · 🏠 ThunderBay.Online
