Northwest Wildfire Update: 131 Active Fires as Evacuation Alerts and Travel Restrictions Expand
THUNDER BAY — The Wildland Fire situation continues to change rapidly. Keeping updated and accurate is a challenge.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford will be in Thunder Bay on Saturday to meet with firefighting officials and evacuees.
Northwestern Ontario had 131 active wildland fires Friday evening as provincial officials expanded evacuation alerts and imposed travel restrictions around Fort Frances 14.
Seven new fires were reported since the previous update. Additional firefighting aircraft, helicopters, personnel and equipment from Alberta and Yukon are being sent to the region, while two Ontario incident management teams have been deployed to help oversee major fire clusters in the Fort Frances and Thunder Bay sectors.
Fort Frances 14 and Fort Frances 15 remain out of control, while the merged Thunder Bay 36 fire in Wabakimi Provincial Park has been remapped at more than 318,000 hectares.
Seven New Wildland Fires Confirmed
Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services reported seven new fires since its previous Northwest Fire Region update.
Nipigon 67 was confirmed during the evening of July 16, approximately seven kilometres west of Crib Extension Road and southeast of Cavell Lake. The five-hectare fire is not under control.
Nipigon 68 was also confirmed during the evening of July 16, north of Percy Lake. The 0.7-hectare fire is not under control.
Kenora 19 was located on an island in Black Sturgeon Lakes, east of Peterson Road. The 0.1-hectare fire has been extinguished.
Fort Frances 40 was located near Rocky Island Road and Hopkins Bay Islet Road. The 0.1-hectare fire has been extinguished.
Fort Frances 41 is north of Secret Lake, near Sedgwick Lake Road. The 0.1-hectare fire is under control.
Sioux Lookout 98 is near the north end of Michikenis Lake. The 110-hectare fire is being observed.
Sioux Lookout 99 is approximately 4.5 kilometres north of Wharram Lake. The 136.6-hectare fire is being observed.
As of the 8:10 p.m. CDT update on July 17, the Northwest Region had:
62 fires not under control
Four fires being held
Five fires under control
60 fires being observed
Fort Frances 14 Travel and Crown Land Restrictions
The Ministry of Natural Resources’ Thunder Bay–Ignace District has issued an Implementation Order under Emergency Area Order EAO 2026-09.
The restrictions took effect at 12:01 a.m. EDT on July 17 and will remain in place until revoked.
Travel, access and use of identified roads, waterways and Crown lands within the emergency area are prohibited unless a permit has been issued by the MNR.
Restricted roads include:
Athelstane Road
Blind Bay Road
Chief Peter Lake Road
Crayfish Road
Davidson Road
Dexter Road
Gonyou Road
Hay Lake Road south of Highway 17
Huronian Road
Inwood Township Road
J.D. Hackman Road
Kashabowie Road
Lac des Mille Lacs Road
Lily Lake Road
Pipeline Road
Sapawe Road
Sawmill Bay Road
Seine East Road
Seine River Road
Stetham Lake Road
Upsala Road
Travel and access restrictions also apply to Crown lands and waterways in the designated area, including:
Atikokan River
Beaver River
Boundary Lake
East Divide Lake
Firesteel River
Hay River
Huronian Lake
Inwood Creek and Inwood Lake
Kashabowie Lake and Kashabowie River
Lac des Mille Lacs
Little Kabaigon Lake
Little Savanne River
McKay Creek
Mud Lake
Nemiman Lake
Obadinaw River
Postans Lake
Savanne River
Seine River
Sitches Lake
Union Lake
Upsala Creek
Windigoostigwan Lake
People should consult the official Implementation Order map before travelling in the affected region.
More information is available from the Thunder Bay–Ignace District at 807-475-1471.
Expanded Evacuation Alert Near Fort Frances 14
An expanded evacuation alert has been issued for areas near Fort Frances 14.
The alert is not an evacuation order. However, residents, campers, property owners and others using the identified areas should be prepared to leave on short notice.
Areas covered by the earlier evacuation order remain under that order, and people in those locations are still required to leave.
The expanded alert includes the townships of:
Ames
Begin
Blackwell
Colliver
Conacher
Duckworth
Fallis
Gibbard
Goldie
Goodfellow
GTP Block 2
GTP Block 3
GTR Block 4
Hagey
Haines
Horne
Inwood
Joynt
Lamport
Langworthy
Laurie
Michener
Moss
Robson
Savanne
Soper
Stedman
Upsala
Wardrope
The alert also covers areas accessed through a wide network of local and forest roads, including:
Athelstane Road
Bedivere Road
Boot Bay Road
Brule Road
Burchell Road
Chief Peter Lake Road
Connection Road
Direct Road
Dog River Road
Drift Lake Road
Fortes Lake Road
Gold Creek Road
Graham Road
Haner Road
Heart Lake Road
Hoof Lake Road
Lac des Mille Lacs Road
Lily Lake Road
Mine Road
NeZaadiikaang Road
Numac Road
Rounde Lake Road
Sapawe Road
Seine River Road
Shabaqua Road
Shelby Lake Road
Sideen Road
Swamp Road
Township Road
Wawiag North Road
Wawiag Road
West Nelson Lake Road
Lake areas included in the expanded alert include:
Shebandowan Lakes
Kashabowie Lake
Burchell Lake
Lac des Mille Lacs
Rudge Lake
Brule Lake
Baril Lake
Lang Lake
Huronian Lake
Peterkin Lake
Athelstane Lake
Little Athelstane Lake
Bundy Lake
Worthy Lake
Milton Lake
Moss Lake
Rainbow Lake
People in the alert area should assemble medications, identification, passports, legal documents and other essential items. They should remain connected to official information and be ready to leave immediately if the alert is upgraded to an evacuation order.
Evacuation Alert for Fort Frances 15 and Fort Frances 38
The Dryden–Fort Frances–Atikokan District has issued an evacuation alert because of Fort Frances 14, Fort Frances 15 and Fort Frances 38.
People living, working, camping or travelling near the fires are strongly encouraged to prepare for evacuation on short notice.
The alert includes the townships of Hutchison, Ramsay Wright, Trottier and Weaver.
It also covers areas accessed by:
Boot Lake Road
Camp 111 Road
Crooked Pine Lake Road
Duck Lake Road
Marion Lake Road
Premier Lake Road
Sapawe–Upsala Road
Stanton Bay Road
White Lily Road
Affected lake areas include:
Como Lake
Crystal Lake
Eva Lake
Magnetic Lake
Marion Lake
Mercutio Lake
Niobe Lake
Nydia Lake
Sapawe Lake
Whiskeyjack Lake
Windigoostigwan Lake
More information about this alert is available at 807-223-3341.
Cross-Border Alert Near Minnesota’s Thumb Fire
An evacuation alert also remains in place for Ontario areas affected by Fort Frances 39 and Minnesota’s Thumb Fire.
The alert includes areas accessed by Lagoon Road and locations around:
Blue Lake
Cranberry Lake
Lac La Croix
Lilac Lake
Loon Lake
Queer Rock Lake
Spring Lake
Thompson Lake
Trout Lake
People using these areas should prepare to leave on short notice and monitor instructions from Ontario fire officials.
The cross-border fire situation remains important for Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe Nation, Lac La Croix and surrounding wilderness and tourism areas.
Fort Frances 14 and Fort Frances 15 Remain Out of Control
Fort Frances 14 was measured at 55,106.3 hectares and remained not under control.
Its northern perimeter was approximately five kilometres southwest of the Trans-Canada Highway.
The southern edge was approximately eight kilometres north of Highway 11.
Fort Frances 15 was measured at 48,261.4 hectares and was also not under control.
The fire areas received varying amounts of early-morning rainfall, with higher amounts reported in the southern portions.
Fire behaviour has been significantly less active during the past 48 hours because of lower wind speeds, higher relative humidity and rainfall. Minimal growth was observed during the previous 24 hours.
The temporary reduction in activity does not mean the fires are under control. Conditions can intensify again if temperatures rise, humidity falls or winds increase.
Thunder Bay 36 Grows to More Than 318,000 Hectares
The large merged wildfire in Wabakimi Provincial Park is now being identified as Thunder Bay 36.
The fire has been remapped at 318,812.7 hectares.
Several fires merged to form the current fire complex, which has affected the Wabakimi area, Armstrong, Namaygoosisagagun First Nation and Whitesand First Nation.
A fire of this size presents major challenges for suppression crews because of its extensive perimeter, remote location and potential impacts on communities, traditional territories, tourism operations, rail service and regional transportation.
Areas Affected by Recent Fire Growth
Areas where fires showed significant growth on July 13 and 14 included:
Namaygoosisagagun First Nation, Armstrong and Whitesand First Nation, affected by Thunder Bay 36
McDowell First Nation, affected by Red Lake 23
Quetico Provincial Park and the Atikokan area, affected by Fort Frances 15 and Fort Frances 38
Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe Nation, affected by Fort Frances 37 and Minnesota’s Thumb Fire
Lac des Mille Lacs and the Upsala area, affected by Fort Frances 14
Mishkeegogamang First Nation, where multiple fires are burning
Wabakimi Provincial Park, where several fires have merged
Cat Lake, where multiple fires are burning
Fort Hope, affected by Nipigon 36 and Nipigon 58
Provincial officials said suppression efforts remain focused on protecting firefighters, the public, communities and critical infrastructure.
Resources are also being directed toward new fires when there is a strong possibility of containing them before they become larger incidents.
Additional Firefighting Resources Coming to the Region
Two Ontario incident management teams have been deployed to Northwestern Ontario.
The teams will assist with the management of active fire clusters in the Fort Frances and Thunder Bay sectors.
Additional resources from Alberta and Yukon are also inbound. The assistance includes firefighting aircraft, helicopters, equipment and personnel.
The outside support will help with fire suppression and incident management as Ontario crews continue dealing with multiple large and uncontrolled fires.
Restricted Fire Zone Remains in Effect
A Restricted Fire Zone remains in place across the Northwest Fire Region and part of the Northeast Fire Region.
The restriction took effect July 15 because of the high-to-extreme fire hazard, increased fire activity and the large number of active incidents.
No open-air burning, including campfires, is permitted within the Restricted Fire Zone.
All burning permits are suspended.
Portable gas or propane stoves may be used for cooking and warmth but must be operated with extreme caution.
The restriction will remain in effect until further notice.
The Ministry of Natural Resources will expand the Restricted Fire Zone farther into the Northeast Region at 12:01 a.m. local time on Saturday, July 18.
The expansion will cover additional territory from the Pic River and Lake Superior east toward the Ontario–Quebec boundary and south through portions of the Cochrane, Sudbury and Algoma districts.
Flight Restrictions Near Fort Frances 14
A Notice to Airmen, or NOTAM, remains in effect near Fort Frances 14, northeast of Byers Lake.
The NOTAM is in addition to the automatic wildfire airspace restrictions established under Section 601.15 of the Canadian Aviation Regulations.
Unauthorized aircraft, including drones, must remain at least five nautical miles — approximately 9.3 kilometres — from an active forest fire and cannot fly below 3,000 feet above ground level within the restricted area.
Pilots must check NAV Canada’s Collaborative Flight Planning Services for current NOTAM information before flying.
Unauthorized drones can force waterbombers and helicopters to stop operating, placing flight crews, firefighters and communities at risk.
Smoke Continues Across Ontario
Smoke from active fires in Canada and the United States remains visible across parts of Ontario.
Smoke conditions may change rapidly as winds shift. Communities far from an active fire may still experience reduced air quality.
Older adults, children, pregnant people and anyone with heart or respiratory conditions may face greater health risks during heavy smoke.
Residents should monitor official air-quality information and public-health guidance.
What Residents Should Do
People in evacuation alert areas should prepare an emergency bag containing identification, medications, legal documents, clothing and essential supplies.
Vehicles should have enough fuel to leave the area, and residents should have a plan for children, pets and family members who may require assistance.
Everyone must respect evacuation orders, travel restrictions and road closures.
Residents and visitors should avoid restricted Crown lands and give firefighters, aircraft and emergency personnel enough room to work safely.
Official evacuation, restriction and wildfire updates are available through Ontario’s forest fire information service.
Report a Wildland Fire
To report a wildland fire north of the French and Mattawa rivers, call 310-FIRE, or 310-3473.
To report a wildland fire south of the French or Mattawa rivers, call 911.
Wildfire prevention information and regional updates are also available through the province’s @ONforestfires and @ONfeudeforet social media accounts.
