News from Thunder Bay: About 2,014 people in northwestern Ontario remain under evacuation due to wildfires in the region, according to a spokesperson for the province's minister of Critical incident Preparedness and Response.
As of Thursday, 14 communities have been evacuated, five have returned home and one is in the process of returning. 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 toMinister Jill Dunlop. "The number of evacuees is reported into the Provincial Urgent situation Operations Centre (PEOC) by the public leadership.
Evacuation numbers may fluctuate as citizens leadership confirm the total number of evacuated local residents 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 local residents 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.
According to the province'sinteractive highway map, the following roads are closed due to forest fire activity: The Ontario Provincial Authorities (OPP) push for people for their safety and the safety of crisis responders to: Mail delivery has been suspended in the following communities due to forest fire activity: "Effective July 24, residents and businesses of Aroland (P0T 1B0), Cat Lake (P0V 1J0), Gull Bay (P0T 1P0), Armstrong Station (P0T 1A0) and Collins (P0T 3E0) receive free Mail Forwarding service for up to 12 months.
But for your own safety, and for the safety of our citizens and our responders, please leave now," Gull Bay's Chief Wilfred Kingwrote in a region notice on Wednesday. There are 117 active wildfires across northwestern Ontario, according to the newest update from Ontario's Aviation, Forest Fire and Crisis Services (AFFES) put out on Wednesday evening. Of these, 25 are not under control, five are being held, five are under control and the rest are being observed. The largest blaze in the region, known as Thunder Bay 36, remains out of control at almost 314,000 hectares. A NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) is also in effect in the area. A yellow heat notice from the Manitoba border, south to the Canada-U.S. border and north to Deer Lake has moved east towardJellicoeon Wednesday. Environment and Climate Change Canada says conditions may continue into Thursday and possibly Friday, withdaytime highs of 29 to 31 C, humidex values of 33 to 38, and nighttime lows of 16 to 20 C. A yellow intense storm watch also coversDrydento Attawapiskat and north to Peawanuck. Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler has published astatement in support of a public inquiry into Ontario’s response to this summer’s blaze crisis. Those under evacuation orders are required to leave the area, while those under evacuation alerts are called on to prepare to evacuate. The Ministry of Natural Resources' Thunder Bay–Ignace District has invoked implementation orders near the following wildfires: Implementation orders limit people's ability to travel in and around these blazes. Northwestern Ontario and a small portion of northeastern Ontario remain under arestricted fire zone, which means no open-air burning, including campfires, is allowed. The forest fire hazard is mostly high across the northwest, with a pocket of extreme hazard in the far north that will affect communities, including, but not limited to, Bearskin Lake First Nation, Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug and Kingfisher Lake First Nation. Another high-hazard pocket surrounds Webequie First Nation and another exists in the Kenora district. According to the province'sinteractive highway map, the following roads are closed due to forest fire activity: The Ontario Provincial Authorities (OPP) push for people for their safety and the safety of crisis responders to: Mail delivery has been suspended in the following communities due to forest fire activity: "Effective July 24, residents and businesses of Aroland (P0T 1B0), Cat Lake (P0V 1J0), Gull Bay (P0T 1P0), Armstrong Station (P0T 1A0) and Collins (P0T 3E0) receive free Mail Forwarding service for up to 12 months. Impacted residents have until Aug. 24 to register for the free service," Canada Post advised. Thirteen blazes were confirmed in the northeast, according to the most recent update from Ontario's Aviation, Forest Fire and Urgent response Services (AFFES) released on Wednesday evening. There are currently 42 active wildfires in the northeast. Of these, five are not under control, two are being held, two are under control and the rest are being observed. Hazard levels are high, with pockets of extreme hazard near the Greater Sudbury area. 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 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 organizations 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. The Municipality of the northwestern Ontario hub moved from active critical incident co-ordination to enhanced monitoring. Residents are encouraged to take steps to reduce forest fire risk around their homes and properties by followingFireSmart principles. How to reduce blaze risk and the likelihood of property damage in Thunder Bay, Ont. 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.
🔗 Read the original report from CBC News Thunder Bay
For more local news, weather, sports, events, and community updates across Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario, visit ThunderBay.Online — your trusted source for everything happening in the region.
📍 Source: CBC News Thunder Bay · By: CBC News Staff · 🗓️ July 31, 2026 · 🏠 ThunderBay.Online
