Here’s the latest on northwestern Ontario’s forest fires: Tuesday, July 28

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There are 117 active wildfires across northwestern Ontario, according to the latest update from Ontario’s Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services (AFFES) issued Sunday evening.

Of these, 23 are not under control, three are being held, eight are under control, and the rest are being observed.

There were six new fires confirmed in the northwest by Monday evening:

Dryden 49 (DRY049)is located northeast of Rice Lake, approximately 1 kilometre north of Ghost Lake Road. The 0.1-hectare fire is under control.
Kenora 25 (KEN025)is located near the north side of Obabikon Lake, approximately 12 kilometres west of Highway 71. The 0.1-hectare fire is under control.

The largest wildfire 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.

“Additional crews arrived on the fire line from Alberta Wildfire on July 25,” AFFES said Sunday evening. “Fire crews are continuing to locate and extinguish hot spots along the fire perimeter, with helicopter bucketing operations providing support.

“Heavy equipment operators are making good progress constructing fire guards. Values protection efforts are ongoing,” it continued.

Evacuation, implementation orders

Evacuation orders or alerts remain in effect for areas near the following fires:

Those under evacuation orders are required to leave the area, while those under evacuation alerts are urged to prepare to evacuate.

The Ministry of Natural Resources’ Thunder Bay–Ignace District has invoked implementation orders near the following fires:

Dryden 34, 35 and 36.
Fort Frances 14.
Thunder Bay 36, 54 and 56.

Implementation orders limit people’s ability to travel in and around these fires.

Northwestern Ontario and a small portion of northeastern Ontario remain under a restricted fire zone, which means no open-air burning, including campfires, is allowed.

The forest fire danger rating is low to moderate across most of northwestern Ontario, with pockets of high hazard near Kenora, Dryden, Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, Bearskin Lake First Nation and Marten Falls.

Highway closures in effect

According to the province’s interactive highway map, the following roads are closed due to wildfire activity:

All lanes are closed in both directions on Lac des Mille Lacs Road from Inwood Road to Highway 17.
Highway 811 is closed, with the exception of local traffic evacuating the area.
Highway 527 is closed in both directions between Tertiary Highway 811 and Armstrong.

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) urge people for their safety and the safety of emergency responders to:

Stay away from affected areas and refrain from attending wildfire scenes to take photos or videos.
Remain calm and follow all evacuation orders and emergency instructions issued by local authorities.
Avoid non-essential travel in affected areas.
Monitor official sources for the latest information and evacuation updates.
Remain away from evacuated areas until authorities have advised it is safe to return.
Help keep roadways clear so emergency personnel can carry out their work safely and effectively.
If evacuating, bring essential medications, identification, important documents, mobile devices and chargers and any items required to support family members and pets.

Canada Post red delivery service alerts

Mail delivery has been suspended in the following communities due to wildfire activity:

Cat Lake (evacuation order).
Gull Bay.
Armstrong Station (evacuation order).
Collins (evacuation order).

“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 says.

One new fire in the northeast

One new wildfire were confirmed in northeastern Ontario by Monday evening.

Sudbury 31 (SUD031), less than a kilometre north of Old Cartier Road and 1.2 kilometres northwest of Sawmill Lake, is less than a hectare in size and is being held.

There are 37 active wildfires in the northeast. Of these, three are being held, two are under control and 32 are being observed.

The forest fire hazard is mostly low to moderate in the northeast, with pockets of high hazard in and around the Sudbury and Haliburton fire management sectors.

Evacuee total now 2,835

There are now more than 2,835 wildfire evacuees from more than a dozen communities across the province, according to an update issued by Ontario’s Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response, Jill Dunlop, on Friday evening.

They are staying in eight official host communities.

There have been four Ontario Corps partners and 17 Ontario Corps volunteers sent to help. As well, the province says the following equipment/supplies have been provided:

312 air purifiers.
84 air filters.
Five air scrubbers.
2,640 N-95 masks.
4,340 hygiene kits.
80 food hampers.

As part of these efforts, Feed Ontario and the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres are shipping and distributing food to evacuees. GlobalMedic has also delivered essential supplies to the evacuation reception centre at the Fort William Gardens Arena in Thunder Bay.

In addition, the Kaministiquia and Upsala fire departments were among some regional fire services to receive wildland fire skids from GlobalMedic.

Thunder Bay transitions to ‘enhanced monitoring’

The City of Thunder Bay has moved from active emergency co-ordination to enhanced monitoring.

“Wildfire conditions across northwestern Ontario remain serious but stable… and no new evacuations are anticipated at this time,” the city said in an update late Wednesday afternoon.