Here's the latest on northwestern Ontario's forest fires: Sunday, Aug. 2

Here's the latest on northwestern Ontario's forest fires: Sunday, Aug. 2

There are 130 active wildfires burning in northwestern Ontario

Eight new wildfires were confirmed in northwestern Ontario by the evening of Aug. 1, bringing the total number of active fires in the region up to 130.

The provincial Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services (AFFES) agency said of the active fires, 30 are not under control, 10 are being held, five are under control, and 85 are being observed.

Fires of note include the Rinker Lake Complex fire, which includes Thunder Bay 36 and 54, and Dryden 34 and 35.

AFFES said an incident management team has taken command of the fire, with 14 wildland firefighters from Ontario and Alberta, and 20 from Mexico, assigned.

The fires that make up the cluster have seen an increase in fire activity over the last few days, with Thunder Bay 36 currently at more than 313,000 hectares in size and not under control.

The Atikokan Cluster, meanwhile, includes Fort Frances 14, 15, and 38, and a crew of wildland firefighters from Mexico were placed on the fire line on Saturday. AFFES said crews are working from multiple locations along the fire perimeter, with support from helicopters.

About 1,876 people from northwestern Ontario remain under evacuation due to wildfires in the region as of Friday afternoon, according to a spokesperson for the province's minister of emergency preparedness and response.

In all, "14 communities have been evacuated and six have returned home."

The ministry has held over 100 co-ordination calls with First Nation chiefs, leaders and communities, emergency management partners, municipalities and the federal government since the first Request for Assistance was received on July 14, according to Minister Jill Dunlop.

"The number of evacuees is reported into the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (PEOC) by community leadership. Evacuation numbers may fluctuate as community leadership confirm the total number of evacuated community members with the ministry," wrote spokesperson Julia Facca on Wednesday.

Eabametoong First Nation is planning to start sending evacuees home from Niagara Falls as early as Friday, the community posted on Facebook.

Meanwhile, other communities, such as Gull Bay First Nation, are urging those who have not left the community to do so as quickly as possible.

"I would not ask you to leave your home or our land if it were not truly necessary. But for your own safety, and for the safety of our community and our responders, please leave now," Gull Bay's Chief Wilfred King wrote in a community notice on Wednesday.

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.

What to know about preparing go bags and emergency kits

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

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.

Notice to Air Missions, or NOTAMs, have also been issued for Thunder Bay 36 and Fort Frances 14.

Northwestern Ontario residents advised to be cautious this August long weekend

The forest fire hazard is mostly moderate to high across the northwest, with some areas of extreme hazard in the western and northern parts of the region.

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

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

Canada Post red delivery service alerts

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

One new fire was confirmed in the northeast as of Saturday evening.

AFFES said there are currently 45 active wildfires in the northeast, with three are not under control, four being held, four under control, and the remainder are being observed.

Fire hazard levels are mostly moderate to high across the northeast, with areas of low hazard around Sault Ste. Marie, Bruce Mines, Elliot Lake, North Bay, and on the shore of Hudson Bay.

There are 100 contracted aircraft, including seven medium helicopters actively responding during wildfire season, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources.

It can also access up to 80 additional crews through private contracts if needed.

The ministry said it is providing an additional $650 million to purchase six new waterbombers and five new helicopters.

It has also added 170 new permanent fire personnel positions, including crew lead roles, and increased compensation for staff, including firefighters and pilots.

The ministry will conduct an after-action review of its wildfire response to inform improvements in planning and response.

More than 80 wildfires extinguished in Ontario in past 2 weeks: minister

There have also been four Ontario Corps partners and 17 Ontario Corps volunteers sent to help. The province said the following equipment/supplies have been provided:

Air purifiers, air scrubbers and replacement filters, in particular, were sent to five First Nations, allowing them to remain in their communities.

As part of these efforts, Feed Ontario and the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres are also shipping and distributing food to evacuees.

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

Mexico, Alberta, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, the Yukon, PEI, the Canadian Forest Service and the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre have also offered province-wide assistance.

Thunder Bay transitions to 'enhanced monitoring'

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

How to reduce wildfire risk and the likelihood of property damage in Thunder Bay, Ont.

Residents are encouraged to take steps to reduce wildfire risk around their homes and properties by following FireSmart principles.

With files from Amy Hadley and Sarah Law