Thunder Bay, Ontario — There are 85 active wildfires in northwestern Ontario, according to the fresh report put out Saturday night from Ontario's Aviation, Forest Fire and Crisis Services (AFFES).

Of those, seven are not under control, six are being held, nine are under control and the rest are being observed. The province remarked as of Saturday evening, no new wildfires had been confirmed in the northwest region since its last update on Friday evening. As well, cooler temperatures and forecast precipitation on Saturday were expected to help with efforts to reduce the intensity of some of the most notable blazes in the region.

The forest fire hazard is mostly low across northwestern Ontario, with a pocket of moderate hazard in the Kenora area, a pocket of moderate hazard near Marten Falls First Nation, and pockets of moderate and high hazard in the Thunder Bay fire management district, north of Lake Nipigon. As of Friday, roughly 829 people remain displaced due to wildfires in Ontario, according to the ministry of Critical incident Preparedness and Response. The ministry has held over 110 coordination calls with First Nation chiefs, the public leaders, crisis management collaborators, municipalities and the federal government, remarked Jill Dunlop, Ontario's minister of critical incident preparedness and response, speaking at a Tuesday news conference. There are two new evacuation alerts in effect for Fort Frances 39 and Minnesota’s "Thumb Fire." The Dryden Fort Frances Atikokan District has published an evacuation alert due to "the evolving situation and increased fire behaviour of wildland Fire Fort Frances 39 and Minnesota’s ‘Thumb Fire.’" People living or using the area near the blazes on the Ontario side are "strongly encouraged to prepare to evacuate on short notice." This includes all areas accessed by Lagoon Road and all areas located on the following lakes: Those under evacuation orders are required to leave the area, while those under evacuation alerts are called on to prepare to evacuate.

However, updates have been made to the implementation order currently in effect for active Thunder Bay 36, 56 and Dryden 34, 35 in the Thunder Bay–Ignace District on Friday, removingsome areas previously included.

"My ministry is also conducting assessment flights to document property damage and loss. Impacted property owners can contact 211 to receive information from our ministry staff and support on the next steps," declared Mike Harris, minister of Natural Resources, at the Tuesday press conference. He indicated that the ministry is also currently working closely with Namaygoosisagagun First Nation to restore the road back to the landing on the lake, which goes into the local residents, and ministry engineers are doing some work on its first bridge to try and expedite construction. The ministry is also working with camps, tourist operators and similar stakeholders to try and get them back to assess damages, Harris added. 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 put out 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 Thunder Bay–Ignace District on Friday, removingsome areas previously included. 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 crisis responders to: Mail delivery has been suspended in the following communities due to blaze activity: There are currently 47 active wildland blazes in the northeast Region. Of these blazes: four are not under control, two are being held, three are under control and 38 are being observed. Forest fire danger ratings are primarily low across northeastern Ontario, with some moderate and high pockets in the southwest, south of Greater Sudbury and around North Bay. The ministry advised earlier this summer 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. In addition to reception centres set up in Thunder Bay and Dryden, 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. 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 16, 2026 · 🏠 ThunderBay.Online