Thunder Bay, Ontario — Sixteen new wildland blazes were confirmed across Northwestern Ontario by the evening of Friday, July 31, while provincial, national and international crews continued suppression work on several large fire complexes.
Aviation, Forest Fire and Critical incident Services reported 128 active blazes in the Northwest Region as of 7:10 p.m. Thirty-three were not under control, seven were being held, four were under control and 84 were being observed. The fresh fire starts include incidents near Big Trout Lake, Savant Lake, Lac Seul, Highway 17, Highway 599, Lake Nipigon and the Fort Frances-Atikokan area.
Several are close to regional highways, remote communities, lakes and aviation routes, although the update did not report any new highway closures directly connected to the 16 wildfires. Five of the new blazes were reported in the Sioux Lookout fire district. Sioux Lookout 106, or SLK106, is near Big Trout Lake, about 5 kilometres south of Jackfish Bay. The 1-hectare fire was not under control at the time of the update.
On the west side of the fire, FireRanger crews continued to establish and consolidate hose lines, patrol completed sections and work inward approximately 30 metres from the perimeter.
Sioux Lookout 107 is near Stanzhikimi Lake, approximately 2 kilometres south of Highway 516. The 0.1-hectare fire was under control. Sioux Lookout 108 is south of Savant Lake, about 14 kilometres east of Highway 599. The 0.1-hectare fire was not under control. Sioux Lookout 109 is near Highway 599, approximately 1 kilometre east of Willow Lake. It was listed at 0.1 hectares and was not under control. Sioux Lookout 110 is on an island at the south end of Lac Seul. Five additional blazes were confirmed in the Dryden fire district. Dryden 55 is near Highway 17, approximately 4.5 kilometres northeast of West Grit Lake. Dryden 56 is also near Highway 17, approximately 4 kilometres northeast of Kay Lake. Dryden 57 is near Shikag Lake, about 34 kilometres east of Highway 599. It was 0.1 hectares and not under control. Dryden 58 is approximately 1 kilometre south of Phyllis Lake and about 15 kilometres southwest of Highway 17. Dryden 59 is north of Little Harry Lake and approximately 4 kilometres south of Aylsworth Lake. The 0.1-hectare fire was being held. Two wildfires were reported in the Thunder Bay fire district. Thunder Bay 68 is near Hine Lake, approximately 2 kilometres south of Armistice Lake. The fire was 0.2 hectares and not under control. Thunder Bay 69 is west of Magnus Lake and approximately 7 kilometres northeast of Baril Lake. The 0.3-hectare fire was not under control. Two new blazes were confirmed in the Fort Frances district. Fort Frances 55 is near the Trout River and Korpi Lake, approximately 7 kilometres east of Highway 502. Fort Frances 56 is near Picture Narrows Lake and approximately 1.5 kilometres south of Penassi Lake. The 1.5-hectare fire was not under control. Kenora 28 is near Populus Lake, northwest of Atikwa Lake. The 0.5-hectare fire was not under control. Nipigon 87 is burning on an island in Lake Nipigon. The 1.5-hectare fire was being observed. The causes of the 16 new wildfires were not included in the regional update. The Rinker Lake Complex includes Thunder Bay 36, Dryden 34, Dryden 35 and Thunder Bay 54. Together, the four wildfires cover approximately 388,734 hectares. An incident management team that assumed command June 30 continues to oversee the complex. Twenty wildland firefighters from Mexico joined the incident management team on July 31, adding international personnel to an operation already involving Ontario crews, helicopters, heavy supplies and specialized structure-protection planning. Thunder Bay 36 remained not under control at 313,930 hectares. Crews were establishing and consolidating hose lines, extinguishing hot spots and receiving support from helicopters conducting water-bucketing operations. The work is intended to secure sections of the fire perimeter and reduce the potential for renewed spread. Heavy-equipment operators were constructing fireguards to create breaks in forest fuels and support containment operations. An Alberta wildland-urban interface team was also developing values-protection plans. Those plans can include identifying buildings, infrastructure and other assets that may require sprinkler systems, fuel removal or other defensive measures should fire conditions worsen. The other wildfires in the complex also remained not under control: The evacuation order connected to Thunder Bay 36 and 54, as well as Dryden 34 and 35, remained among the restrictions listed by the province. the northwestern Ontario hub 56 is also included in that evacuation order. International firefighters were also assigned to the Atikokan-area cluster, which includes Fort Frances 14, Fort Frances 15 and Fort Frances 38. Mexican firefighters arrived July 31, received operational briefings and were moved to the fire line on Fort Frances 14. Additional Mexican crews were expected to arrive Saturday, Aug. Fort Frances 14 was remapped to 51,768 hectares, slightly reducing its previously reported size. Changes following aerial mapping do not necessarily indicate that a fire has physically contracted; they can reflect more accurate information about the perimeter. Increased fire behaviour had been observed in the northern interior of Fort Frances 14 as forest fuels dried. Rainfall on July 30 reduced activity again. Crews were operating from several positions around the perimeter, using pumps and hose lines while working toward one another. Helicopters continued dropping water on hot spots and transporting firefighters and gear. Fort Frances 15 remained not under control at 42,273 hectares. Crews were concentrating on the north side of the fire, where activity increased as fuels dried during hot weather. Helicopter bucketing was helping firefighters make progress in that area. On the west side of the fire, FireRanger crews continued to establish and consolidate hose lines, patrol completed sections and work inward approximately 30 metres from the perimeter. Fort Frances 38, north of Crystal Lake, remained under control at 44.2 hectares. One crew was extinguishing remaining hot spots identified through low-level infrared scanning. An evacuation order remains connected to Fort Frances 14. An expanded evacuation alert is also in effect for areas associated with that fire, while an evacuation alert covers Fort Frances 15 and 38. Residents and property owners in affected areas should continue following instructions from crisis authorities and their community or First Nation leadership, as an alert can be upgraded if fire behaviour or weather conditions change. Dryden 36, in the Upper and Lower Moosehide lakes area, was reclassified as being held at 1,710 hectares. According to AFFES, the change means sufficient suppression work has been completed with the resources currently committed, making the fire unlikely to spread beyond existing or predetermined control boundaries under prevailing or forecast conditions. Ontario FireRangers and Type 2 crews were working with helicopter and heavy-equipment operators. Low fire behaviour had been observed during several days of favourable weather. Twenty firefighters from Mexico had also arrived on the fire line to support operations. An evacuation order associated with Dryden 36 remained listed in the provincial update despite the improved fire status. A fire being held can still contain significant heat and require extensive patrol and extinguishment work before it is brought under control. Sioux Lookout 72 was listed at 23,597 hectares and remained not under control. FireRanger crews were reporting progress on suppression work, supported by helicopters dropping water on identified hot spots. Hand-held and aerial infrared systems were being used to locate remaining heat that may not be visible from the ground. Minimal fire behaviour was observed July 31, but crews were continuing suppression operations. The fire remains significant for Cat Lake First Nation and surrounding remote areas, where transportation, crisis access and the movement of essential supplies often depend heavily on aircraft. Even when visible fire activity declines, smoke, aviation restrictions and changing weather can continue to affect remote-community operations. AFFES reported no recent growth among the Highway 599 cluster of Sioux Lookout 84, Sioux Lookout 86 and Sioux Lookout 89. There were 118 personnel assigned to the incident, supported by five helicopters. Across the three blazes, firefighters were using hand tools, pumps and hose lines to extinguish remaining sources of heat. An infrared scan was conducted on Sioux Lookout 84 during the morning of July 31 to identify hot spots. All three wildfires remained not under control: Together, the Highway 599 cluster covers approximately 17,630.7 hectares. The lack of recent growth is encouraging, but the blazes’ classifications indicate suppression work is still required before administration determine that the perimeters can be held under expected conditions. Highway 599 is a critical north-south transportation corridor serving Savant Lake, Pickle Lake and northern communities. The fire update did not report a highway closure connected to the cluster, but travellers should check official road and crisis information before departing. The major blazes and clusters detailed in the July 31 update account for approximately 525,757 hectares. For Thunder Bay and communities across Northwestern Ontario, the fire load is placing continuing demands on aircraft, trained personnel, heavy gear, emergency-management teams and municipal and First Nation services. The deployment of Mexican firefighters and an Alberta wildland-urban interface team demonstrates the scale of the response and the need to share specialized resources across jurisdictions. Fire activity near Highway 17, Highway 502, Highway 516 and Highway 599 also requires close monitoring because those routes connect smaller communities with health care, fuel, groceries, construction supplies and other essential services. The report did not announce new closures on those highways. Proximity to a highway does not automatically mean the road is unsafe or closed. For the forestry, mining, tourism and construction sectors, the Restricted Fire Zone and any neighborhood access restrictions may affect operations on Crown land, remote worksites and access roads. Employers and operators are responsible for checking the restrictions applying to their location and activity. No specific cross-border disruption was reported. However, large blazes in the Fort Frances and Atikokan area can affect aviation planning, tourism traffic and regional transportation near the Canada-U.S. border even when border crossings remain open. The July 31 report listed the following evacuation-related notices: An evacuation order means people covered by the directive must leave as instructed by the responsible authority. An evacuation alert advises people to prepare for a possible evacuation and to monitor official information closely. The boundaries and communities covered by individual notices should be confirmed through provincial, municipal and First Nation urgent response channels. NOTAMs remain in place around the regional capital 36 and Fort Frances 14, northeast of Byers Lake. These notices impose restrictions in addition to the standard aviation rules surrounding active forest wildfires. Section 601.15 of the Canadian Aviation Regulations prohibits unauthorized aircraft from operating over a forest fire area, or within 5 nautical miles of the fire, below 3,000 feet above ground level. It also prohibits aircraft from entering airspace described in a forest-fire NOTAM. The restrictions are critical because suppression helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft may be flying at low altitude, changing direction quickly and operating in reduced visibility. The rules also apply to recreational and remotely piloted aircraft. Unauthorized aircraft or drones can force suppression aircraft to leave an area, delaying water drops and putting firefighters and flight crews at risk. Pilots should review current NOTAM information through NAV Canada’s flight-planning services before departure. The Restricted Fire Zone that took effect July 15 remains in place for the Northwest Region and a small part of the Northeast Region. The province imposed the restriction because of high to extreme fire hazard, increased fire activity, the number of existing wildfires and the need to prevent additional human-caused starts. Outdoor wildfires are prohibited in a Restricted Fire Zone except where specifically permitted or where legislated conditions are met. The restriction includes campfires and the burning of grass or debris, including blazes in outdoor grates, fireplaces and fire pits. Residents, campers, contractors and tourism operators should verify the rules before using any flame-producing supplies or beginning work that could generate sparks. Municipal fire restrictions may also be in place and can be more restrictive than provincial requirements. Ontario’s interactive fire map provides current fire locations, status information, Restricted Fire Zone boundaries and fire-danger ratings calculated using information from weather stations across the province’s fire region. The displayed hazard can change during the day as weather information is updated. Anyone who sees a wildland fire north of the French and Mattawa rivers should call 310-FIRE, or 310-3473. Wildland wildfires south of the French or Mattawa rivers should be reported by calling 911. The information in this report reflects the Aviation, Forest Fire and Urgent response Services Northwest Fire Region update published July 31, 2026, at 7:10 p.m. Fire sizes, status classifications, restrictions and evacuation notices may change as crews complete mapping and weather conditions evolve..
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📍 Source: NetNewsLedger · By: NetNewsLedger Staff · 🗓️ August 02, 2026 · 🏠 ThunderBay.Online
