140 Wildfires Active in Northwestern Ontario, Most Under Observation or Control

Ontario recorded 140 active wildland fires in the northwest as of Monday evening, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources. Of those, 47 remained not under control, six were being held, seven were under control, and the rest were under observation. Evacuation alerts covered areas near Thunder Bay fires 36, 54 and 56, Dryden fires 34 and 35, and Fort Frances fires 14, 15 and 38.

Thunder Bay 36, the largest fire, exceeded 318,000 hectares and stayed out of control. FireRanger crews, helicopters and heavy equipment operators continued suppression work on the blaze. Favourable weather conditions reduced fire behaviour and allowed crews to advance on the fire line.

Highway 527 remained closed at Gull Bay First Nation, with the closure extended to the Highway 811 junction. Highway 811 was also closed except for local traffic evacuating the area. The Ontario Provincial Police assisted the Ministry of Natural Resources with a mandatory evacuation order for Gull Bay First Nation, replacing an earlier self-evacuation.

In the northeast, 43 active fires burned Monday evening with no new ignitions reported that day. Five of those fires were not under control. Wawa 17, one of the uncontrolled fires, measured 37.2 hectares about 15 kilometres northeast of Pic Mobert.

This season’s fires have forced more than a dozen communities, including 10 First Nations, to evacuate. As of Monday, roughly 2,415 people had reached host communities in Thunder Bay, Kenora, Fort Frances, Lac Seul, Sioux Lookout, Red Lake, Barrie, Niagara Falls and Toronto.

Ontario Corps deployed 312 air purifiers, 84 air filters and five air scrubbers to affected areas, while Feed Ontario and the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres distributed food and GlobalMedic delivered supplies to the Thunder Bay reception centre at Fort William Gardens.