Wildfire tally grows to 190 in northern Ontario

A number of 190 combat-ready fires were burning at the stake crossways northern Ontario on sat morning, with seven new fires being confirmed in the northwestern region Friday night, provincial authorities said.

Those seven new fires bring the regional tally to 131, according to the provincial Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services (AFFES) agency.

AFFES says that overcast conditions on Friday following overnight rainfall helped limit fire growth and behaviour across all active fires. 

The latest wildfires in the northwestern region, covering an area of roughly 252 hectares, are:

The Ontario wildfires: How the first few days unfolded

An additional two new fires in northeastern Ontario were also confirmed by AFFES on Friday:

On Friday morning, the province issued an evacuation order for an area near the Fort Frances 14 fire, which is slightly more than 55,000 hectares in size and was not under control as of Saturday morning.

People in the area of Baril, Bedivere and Windigoostigwan lakes and Lac des Mille Lacs have been told to leave immediately, unless they have a travel permit issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNRF). 

AFFES confirmed incident management teams have been mobilized to the Fort Frances and Thunder Bay sectors to assume responsibility for managing the large-scale incidents in the fegion, specifically Fort Frances 14, Fort Frances 15 and Thunder Bay 36.  

During a media conference Friday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the province thanked the communities hosting evacuees and is working to support them.

"Our government is working collaboratively across ministries and with a range of external partners to establish supports for people evacuating," he said. "This includes transportation, accommodation, food and registration services.

"We're also providing support with air purifiers and air scrubbers."

Ford said more than 150 fire crews were working on the ground as of Friday morning, with more than 80 aircraft deployed, as well.

"I want to acknowledge the incredible support we're already receiving from the governments of Alberta and the Yukon, who have crews on the ground in Ontario right now supporting our efforts," Ford said.

"On Wednesday, we also requested that the federal government, including the Canadian Armed Forces, be prepared to rapidly deploy federal resources to support the evacuations taking place now, and any that may become necessary.

"Yesterday, we received confirmation from the federal Minister of Emergency Management that the federal government is ready to support as necessary." 

As of Saturday morning, AFFES says Alberta Wildfire firefighters have arrived to assist Ontario crews with ongoing suppression efforts on the ground. Ground crews will continue to receive suppression support from all available resources including heavy equipment, helicopters and aerial support personnel and aircraft from Alberta and Yukon Territory.

Ford is expected to give a further update on the provincial fire response in Thunder Bay on Saturday.

The Fort Frances 14 evacuation order is just the latest of several issued in recent days by the province. Other areas ordered to evacuate by the province include:

Other areas and communities that have been evacuated include:

Earlier Saturday morning, Eleanor Olszewski, the federal minister for emergency management and community resilience, posted on social media that she'd approved a request to evacuate residents of Eabametoong First Nation.

Olszewski said the evacuation of the community of more the 600 was slated to begin Sunday morning.

Several other communities and areas have also been told about potential evacuations:

Orange air quality alerts are in effect for:

Yellow air quality warnings, meanwhile, are in effect for Manitouwadge, Hornepayne, Geraldton, and Longlac, while Dryden, Ignace, Sioux Lookout have also improved from orange to yellow.

Despite a chance of showers expected across the region on Saturday, the fire hazard remains high through much of northwestern Ontario, with moderate and low hazard in western parts of the region.

A restricted fire zone has been implemented for much of the region, as well, which prohibits any open-air burning, including campfires.

Thunder Bay residents come together to support wildfire evacuees with toy drive, donation drop-offs

Many municipalities and communities in the region have also implemented their own fire bans, including Thunder Bay, Oliver Paipoonge, Shuniah, Neebing, Lappe, Kenora, Dryden, Red Lake, and Sioux Lookout.

The air quality issues have led to a number of services, programs and events being suspended, cancelled, or shut down.

All outdoor pools, beaches and splash pads run by the City of Thunder Bay have been closed, as have Chapples and Strathcona golf courses, the Centennial Botanical Conservatory, all washroom facilities in public parks, and outdoor marina services.

Parks and playfields are open, but not staffed, and programs and activities are being moved indoors where possible.

Residential garbage collection is continuing — the city said there may be delays — but business and multi-residential garbage collection has been suspended.

Essential city services, including transit and emergency services, are running.

The Thunder Bay Border Cats have postponed Friday's doubleheader against the Wausau Woodchucks due to air quality and forecasted rain.

'Good news and bad news:' What Thunder Bay, Ont., can expect related to air quality over next 36 hours

Fort William Historical Park has also cancelled Celtic Day, which was scheduled to take place Sunday.

The Thunder Bay District Health Unit announced this week it was altering its services levels due to air quality, with routine client-facing services suspended on Friday.

The health unit's office on Balmoral Street will also be closed to the public on Friday, but the health unit said it will remain open for staff and essential services.

Thunder Bay's annual Festival of India has also been postponed. It will now take place on Aug. 15.

Journalist

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