Residents of Thunder Bay are learning that There are 119 active wildfires in northwestern Ontario, according to the newest report from Ontario's Aviation, Forest Fire and Urgent response Services (AFFES) published Monday night.
Of these, 24 are not under control, six are being held, seven are under control and the rest are being observed. The forest fire hazard is mostly low across the northwest, with some areas of moderate to high hazard close to the Manitoba border. About 1,653 people from the region remain under evacuation due to wildfires as of Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for the province's minister of urgent response preparedness and response.
The ministry has held over 100 co-ordination calls with First Nation chiefs, leaders and communities, urgent situation 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 local residents leadership. Evacuation numbers may fluctuate as the region leadership confirm the total number of evacuated citizens members with the ministry," wrote spokesperson Julia Facca on Wednesday. Eabametoong First Nation started sending evacuees home from Niagara Falls on Friday.
According to the province'sinteractive highway map, the following roads are closed due to blaze activity: The Ontario Provincial Officers (OPP) call for 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 46 active wildfires in the northeast.
Meanwhile, other communities, such as Gull Bay First Nation, are urging those who have not left the local residents 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. But for your own safety, and for the safety of our the area and our responders, please leave now," Gull Bay's Chief Wilfred Kingwrote in a public notice on Wednesday. Those under evacuation orders are required to leave the area, while those under evacuation alerts are strongly advised 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. The Ministry of Natural Resources’ Thunder Bay-Ignace District invoked an updatedimplementation order for areas near Fort Frances 14as of Aug. 1, meaning travel is restricted in the specified area. According to the province'sinteractive highway map, the following roads are closed due to blaze activity: The Ontario Provincial Officers (OPP) call for 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 46 active wildfires in the northeast. Of these, six are not under control, one is being held, six are under control and the rest are being observed. Forest fire danger ratings range from primarily high to extreme across northeastern Ontario as of Tuesday morning, with a pocket of low and moderate hazard in the southern and western portions of 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 remarked it is providing an additional $650 million to buy 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 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 04, 2026 · 🏠 ThunderBay.Online
