Forest fires
Find information about the current danger, activity and fire restrictions of forest fires and grass and brush fires across Ontario.
Restricted Fire Zone in effect
A Restricted Fire Zone (RFZ) is in effect for the Northwest Region and a small portion of the Northeast Region. Learn more about the current RFZ boundaries and restrictions.
Report a fire
To report a wildland fire (including grass, brush and forest fires) call
South of the French and Mattawa rivers call 911.
Call or text 2-1-1
Ontarians impacted by wildland fires can call or text 2-1-1 or visit 211ontario.ca to get non-emergency info about available supports and services.
Interactive fire map
Real time updates.
Our interactive map visually shows active fires, current fire danger across the province and restricted fire zones in effect.
The map now shows perimeters for some fires over 40 hectares in size. Note that not all fires are mapped and perimeters are not updated every day (may differ from the size reported in the table).
Most of the data used in the Interactive Map is available on Ontario GeoHub.
We recommend using Google chrome as your web browser to access the map.
Ontario's fire season starts April 1
Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services reminds the public that outdoor fire rules are in effect throughout Ontario’s legislated fire season, which runs from April 1 to October 31. To dispose of yard waste and woody debris, we encourage the use of alternatives such as composting or utilizing your local landfill. If you must burn, use caution and follow the rules outlined in Ontario’s Wildland Fire Management regulation.
Fires are to be ignited no sooner than 2 hours before sunset and extinguished no later than 2 hours after sunrise. Always ensure you have adequate tools and water available to contain the fire at the site. Know the rules for safe outdoor burning. Read the full set of outdoor fire rules.
Residents within municipal boundaries must also check with their local fire department for burning restrictions or permitting requirements prior to burning.
Wildland Fire Management Act
Effective April 1, several regulatory changes come into effect as a result of updates to the Wildland Fire Management Act. These amendments will help to ensure greater awareness of rules designed to prevent unwanted human-caused fires and include:
- A new Ontario Regulation 44/26 (Administrative Penalties) to establish a framework for issuing administrative monetary penalties for contraventions of the Act or its regulations, generally before a wildland fire has occurred.
- Replacing the Outdoor Fires regulation with the Ontario Regulation 43/26 (Wildland Fire Management) to clarify, streamline, and reduce permit requirements.
- Amendments to the existing cost recovery regulation.
- Updates to short form wordings in an existing regulation.
These amendments will help modernize wildland fire management and protect Ontario communities throughout current and future wildland fire seasons. To learn more about the updates now in effect, keep an eye out for our social media posts this month or visit the Wildland Fire Management Act webpage found on e-Laws.
Learn more about the regulations.
- Ontario Regulation 44/26 (Administrative Penalties)
- Ontario Regulation 43/26 (Wildland Fire Management)
Forest fire updates
Northeast Region
Updated: August 6, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
No new wildland fires were confirmed in the Northeast Region today.
There are currently 42 active wildland fires in the Northeast Region. Of these fires: 1 is not under control, 1 is being held, 2 are under control and 38 are being observed.
To access the current forest fire danger rating in your area visit our interactive fire map.
Northwest Region
Updated: August 6, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT)
There were 4 new wildland fires confirmed in the Northwest Region by the evening of August 6.
- Thunder Bay 76 (THU076) is located approximately 13 kilometres west of Highway 527, north of Dog Lake. The 0.2-hectare fire is being held.
- Thunder Bay 77 (THU077) is located approximately 5 kilometres east of Lookout Road, near the west side of Aldridge Lake. The 0.1-hectare fire is not under control.
- Fort Frances 61 (FOR061) was located approximately 4.3 kilometres west of the western perimeter of Fort Frances 14, west of Byers Lake. The fire was called out at 0.1-hectares.
- Nipigon 96 (NIP096) is located in Rainbow Falls Provincial Park, near Whitesand Lake. The 0.1-hectare fire is not under control.
At the time of this update there are 113 active wildland fires in the Northwest Region. Of those fires, 17 are not under control, 10 are being held, 2 are under control 84 are being observed.
To access the current forest fire danger rating in your area visit our interactive fire map.
Fires of note
The Rinker Lake Complex - Thunder Bay 36 (THU036), Dryden 34 (DRY034), Dryden 35 (DRY035)
- There are 15 wildland firefighting crews from Ontario and Alberta, two 20-person crews of wildland firefighters from Mexico, heavy equipment operators, 17 helicopters, pilots, overhead staff from Ontario and Québec, and an Incident Management team assigned to the Rinker Lake Complex.
- There are an additional 20 wildland firefighters from Nova Scotia and 2 Ontario FireRangers crews arriving at the Rinker Lake Complex today.
- Infrared scanning was conducted on THU036 today. Thermal imaging allows operations to focus their efforts on identified targets in active sections of the fire.
- Firefighting crews are patrolling for and extinguishing hotspots, consolidating hoselines, installing and maintaining values protection equipment and constructing helipads to allow for mobilization of equipment and gain access to more fire area.
- Heavy equipment operators are continuing to construct fire guards on portions of the THU036 and DRY035 perimeters. Additional heavy equipment has been added to operations on DRY035.
- Bucketing helicopter operations are ongoing where required.
- THU036 is currently measuring 301,240 hectares and remains not under control.
- DRY034 is currently measuring 45,800 hectares and remains not under control.
- DRY035 is currently measuring 31,510 hectares and remains not under control.
Atikokan Cluster - Fort Frances 13 (FOR013), Fort Frances 14 (FOR014), Fort Frances 15 (FOR015)
- Firefighting crews and staff from Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Alberta and Mexico are making excellent progress in fire operations, consolidating hose lines and extinguishing hotspots with the aid of bucketing helicopters.
- All three fires in the complex continue to exhibit low behaviour and minimal growth.
- On the north end of FOR014 where water sources are scarce, FireRanger crews are patrolling the perimeter and using helicopter buckets to extinguish hot spots-working up to approximately 100 feet inward from the perimeter.
- Crews are patrolling the north and northeast side of FOR015 for hot spots utilizing bucketing support from the helicopters in often challenging terrain.
- A wildland fire fighting engine with a 4,000 litre tank capacity is now working in the Cushing Lake area.
- FOR013 is currently measuring 25,279 hectares and remains not under control.
- FOR014 is currently measuring 51,768 hectares and remains not under control.
- FOR015 is currently measuring 42,273 hectares and remains not under control.
Evacuation Orders
Evacuation Order - Dryden 36
- All persons must immediately evacuate the area indicated on the attached map unless authorized by an exemption permit issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources.
- All persons are prohibited from entering the area indicated on the attached map unless authorized by a exemption permit issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Review the Evacuation Order Map here.
This order is in effect as of July 23, 2026, at 07:01 Central Daylight Time until such time the order is revoked.
For more information on this Evacuation Order, please call
Updated Evacuation Order - Thunder Bay 36 & 56, Dryden 34 & 35
- All persons must immediately evacuate the area indicated on the attached map unless authorized by an exemption permit issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources.
- All persons are prohibited from entering the area indicated on the attached map unless authorized by a exemption permit issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Review the Evacuation Order Map here.
This Order is in effect as of August 7, 2026 at 12:02 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time until such time as the order is revoked.
For exemption permit information, please call
*Due to the high volume of calls, a representative from the MNR Thunder Bay - Ignace District will return your call as soon as possible.
To support evacuees, a reception centre is open at Fort William Gardens Arena, located at 901 Miles St E, Thunder Bay.
The centre includes sleeping accommodations, food, water, hygiene kits, and medical supports.
Implementation Orders
Restrictions in effect - Dryden 36
The Ministry of Natural Resources’ Dryden - Fort Frances - Atikokan District has invoked an Implementation Order now in effect for the purposes of public safety and fire suppression, for areas near Dryden 36, under the Emergency Area Order EAO 2026-009 declared on July 15, 2026.
- All travel and use of Berglund Road, Ila Road, Moosehide Road, Powerline Road as outlined in the identified area on the attached Implementation Order map within the EAO is prohibited unless authorized by a permit to engage in specified activities issued by the Thunder Bay-Ignace District of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR).
- All modes of travel/access into Balmoral River, Bigwalk Lake, Elsie Lake, Nora Lake, Roberts Lake, Turtle River and all Crown lands as outlined in the identified area on the attached Implementation Order map within the EAO is prohibited unless authorized by a permit to engage in specified activities issued by the Thunder Bay - Ignace District of the MNR.
Review the Implementation Order Map here.
This Order is in effect as of July 23, 2026, at 07:01 Central Daylight Time until such time as the order is revoked.
For more information on this Implementation Order, please call
UPDATED restrictions in effect - Thunder Bay 36, 54 & 56 and Dryden 34 & 35
The Ministry of Natural Resources’ Thunder Bay - Ignace District has updated an Implementation Order for the purposes of public safety and/or effectual fire suppression, for areas near Thunder Bay 36, 54 & 56 and Dryden 34 & 35. Under the Emergency Area Order EAO 2026-009 declared on July 15, 2026.
All travel and use of as outlined in the identified area on the attached Implementation Order map within the EAO is prohibited unless authorized by a permit to engage in specified activities issued by the Thunder Bay-Ignace District of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR).
All modes of travel/access into and all Crown lands as outlined in the identified area on the attached Implementation Order map is prohibited unless authorized by a permit to engage in specified activities issued by the Thunder Bay - Ignace District of the MNR.
This includes:
- All road-accessible lands and all travel on and use of watercourses situated east of the Graham Road, commencing at the point where the Graham Road intersects Railbed Road; thence along the eastern and southeastern boundary of Brightsand River Provincial Park to its intersection with the Kopka River Provincial Park boundary; thence along the eastern and southeastern boundary of Kopka River Provincial Park to its intersection with the Wabakimi Provincial Park boundary; thence along the eastern and southeastern boundary of Wabakimi Provincial Park to its intersection with the Mojikit Lake Conservation Reserve boundary; thence along the southern boundary of Mojikit Lake Conservation Reserve to the western shore of the Little Jackfish River; thence southerly along the western shore of the Little Jackfish River to the northern shore of Lake Nipigon; thence westerly along the southern shores of the Wabinosh River, Wabinosh Lake, Kopka River, Pishidgi Lake, Kopka Lake, and Obonga Lake; thence southerly along the eastern boundary of Obonga-Ottertooth Provincial Park and continuing southerly along the eastern boundary of the Obonga Conservation Reserve; thence southwesterly along the eastern shore of the Gull River from its intersection with the Obonga Conservation Reserve, continuing southwesterly along the eastern shore of the Mooseland River from its confluence with the Gull River; thence southerly along the eastern limit of the Highway 811 right-of-way from its intersection with the Gull River; thence westerly along the southern limit of the Dog River Road right-of-way from its intersection with the Highway 811; thence westerly along the southern limit of the Sideen Road right-of-way from its intersection with the Dog River Road; thence westerly along the southern limit of the Mack Road right-of-way from its intersection with Sideen Road; thence southerly along the eastern shore of the Hogarth River from its intersection with the Mack Road; thence northwesterly along the southern limit of the Railbed Road right-of-way from its intersection with the Hogarth River to its intersection with the Graham Road, being the point of commencement.
Review the Implementation Order map here
This Order is in effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on August 7, 2026 until such time as the order is revoked.
For more information on this Implementation Order, please call
Updated restrictions in effect - Fort Frances 14
The Ministry of Natural Resources’ Thunder Bay – Ignace District has invoked an Implementation Order now in effect for the purposes of public safety and fire suppression, for areas near Fort Frances 14, under the Emergency Area Order EAO 2026-009 declared on July 15, 2026.
All travel and use of roads and watercourses as outlined in the identified area on the below Implementation Order map within the EAO are prohibited unless authorized by a permit to engage in specified activities issued by the Thunder Bay-Ignace District of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). This includes All road-accessible lands and all travel and use of all watercourses situated:
- south of Sapawe Road, commencing at the point where Sapawe Road intersects the western boundary of the Territorial District of Thunder Bay; thence easterly along Sapawe Road and continuing along Highway 17, following the western and southern boundaries of Upsala Township; thence easterly along Highway 17 to the eastern boundary of Savanne Township; thence southerly along the eastern boundary of Savanne Township to its intersection with Lac des Mille Lacs (Sawmill Bay); thence southerly along the eastern shoreline of Lac des Mille Lacs (Sawmill Bay) to its intersection with the “Height-of-Land” Portage Route; thence southerly to the eastern shoreline of Kashabowie Lake; thence westerly along the eastern and northern shoreline of Kashabowie Lake to the point of effluence of Crayfish Creek; thence easterly along the northern shore of Crayfish Creek to its intersection with the Canadian National Railway right-of-way; thence westerly along the northern limit of the Canadian National Railway right-of-way to its intersection with the western boundary of the Territorial District of Thunder Bay; thence northerly along the western boundary of the Territorial District of Thunder Bay to its intersection with Sapawe Road, being the point of commencement.
This Order is in effect as of August 01, 2026 at 07:01 Eastern Daylight Time until such time as the order is revoked.
For more information on this Implementation Order, please call
Evacuation Alerts
Evacuation Alert Lifted - Fort Frances 13
The Evacuation Alert for the Saganaga Lake area around active wildland fire Fort Frances 13 (also known as “Little Knife” fire in Minnesota), originally issued by the Thunder Bay – Ignace District on July 24, 2026, has been lifted.
Wildland fire suppression activities are ongoing on Fort Frances 13, but public safety relating to these fires is no longer a concern.
Restrictions remain in place for other fires in the area.
Review the Evacuation Alert Map here.
For more information, please call
Evacuation Alert - Fort Frances 39 & Minnesota’s ‘Thumb Fire’
An evacuation alert has been issued by Dryden Fort Frances Atikokan District due to the evolving situation and increased fire behaviour of wildland Fire Fort Frances 39 and Minnesota’s ‘Thumb Fire’. People residing or utilizing the area near the fires, located within Ontario, are strongly encouraged to prepare to evacuate on short notice.
This includes all areas accessed by:
- Lagoon Road
And all areas located on the following lakes:
- Blue Lake
- Cranberry Lake
- Lac La Croix
- Lilac Lake
- Loon Lake
- Queer Rock Lake
- Spring Lake
- Thompson Lake
- Trout Lake
Please plan ahead and stay connected:
- Make sure you are aware of the current fire situation
- Prepare an emergency bag with your essentials (medicine, passports, legal documents etc.)
- Monitor official channels for updates at ontario.ca/fireupdates
- Be ready to quickly leave if instructed
- Respect evacuation orders, road closures and public officials' direction
- Give crews and aircraft ample space to work
For more information on this evacuation alert, please call
NOTAM - Thunder Bay 36
There is currently a NOTAM in the area of wildland fire Thunder Bay 36.
This is over and above the standard airspace restrictions imposed by Section 601.15 of the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) which state that the airspace around all active forest fires is restricted to forest fire suppression aircraft only, specifically airspace within 5 nautical miles, up to an altitude of 3000 feet above ground level.
Pilots are reminded that NOTAMs concerning forest fires can be found on NavCanada’s Collaborative Flight Planning Services under the ‘Weather and NOTAM’ tab, when flight planning.
NOTAM - Fort Frances 14
There is currently a NOTAM in the area of wildland fire Fort Frances 14, northeast of Byers Lake.
This is over and above the standard airspace restrictions imposed by Section 601.15 of the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARs) which state that the airspace around all active forest fires is restricted to forest fire suppression aircraft only, specifically airspace within 5 nautical miles, up to an altitude of 3000 feet above ground level.
Pilots are reminded that NOTAMs concerning forest fires can be found on NavCanada’s Collaborative Flight Planning Services under the ‘Weather and NOTAM’ tab, when flight planning.
Restricted fire zones
Northwest Region Restricted Fire Zone
Due to the high to extreme fire hazard, increased wildland fire activity, the current fire load and to reduce the number of human-caused wildland fires, the Ministry of Natural Resources will be implementing a Restricted Fire Zone (RFZ) effective July 15 at 12:01 a.m. local time for the Northwest Region and a small portion of the Northeast Region.
The areas impacted are from the corner of the borders of the USA, Manitoba and Ontario, north along the Manitoba and Ontario border to a point southwest of the Echoing River, then southeast in a straight line to roughly 40 kilometres northeast of the community of Kitchenuhmaykoosib, then east to a point roughly 73 kilometres northwest of the community of Attawapiskat, then south to roughly 12 kilometres south of Highway 11, then west to the northeast tip of Sandlink Lakes, then south following Sandlink Creek to Northeast Bay on McKay Lake, following the eastern shore of McKay Lake to the entrance of the Pic River, then south along the Pic River to Lake Superior Canada/US border in Lake Superior. This order is required to reduce the number of human-caused wildland fires. We are expecting the current fire hazard to remain, along with the potential for problematic fires to continue and expect a continuation of the increased forest fire activity into the foreseeable future.
No open air burning, including campfires, is permitted within the boundaries of a RFZ. Portable gas or propane stoves may be used for cooking and warmth but must be handled with extreme caution. All burning permits are suspended. The RFZ will be in place until further notice.
If your municipality has also imposed a fire ban, you must comply with both the restricted fire zone (RFZ) and municipal fire ban.
Contact information
Call or text 2-1-1
Ontarians impacted by wildland fires can call or text 2-1-1 or visit 211ontario.ca to get non-emergency info about available supports and services.
Northeast Region
Monitored 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
Evan Lizotte
Fire Information Officer
Alison Lake
Fire Information Officer
Northwest Region
Monitored 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT)
Victoria Lee and Amy Peltonen
Fire Information Officer
Atikokan Cluster (FOR014, FOR015, FOR038)
Chris Marchand
Fire Information Officer
Horan Incident Management Team
For exemption permit information, please call
Thunder Bay 36
Isabelle Chenard & Sydney Morgan-Gervais
Fire Information Officers
Yanni Incident Management Team
For exemption permit information, please call
Social media
Check out our Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) accounts for safety tips and other wildland fire related information.
For highway conditions, including road closures, call
For air quality in your area, visit:
public weather alerts for Canada
For smoke drift conditions across North America, visit:
smoke drift across North America
For information about wildland fire smoke and your health, consult:
smoke and your health
Fires: year to date
These figures represent the year-to-date total number of wildland fires inside Ontario’s fire region for the 2026 fire season, as they compare to the 2025 season and to the 10-year average.
- 687fires in 2026
- 442fires in 2025
- 48110-year average
Fire bans in provincial parks
For all park fire bans visit:
Ontario parks alerts
You are responsible for fires you light
From April through October, people using outdoor fires must follow strict guidelines under the Wildland Fire Management Act of Ontario to ensure their fires are properly managed.
Anyone who starts a fire outdoors must take all necessary steps to tend the fire, keep it under control and make sure the fire is out before leaving the site. A person failing to burn safely could be fined and held responsible for the cost of putting out the fire. People living in municipalities should check with local fire officials for bylaws on outdoor fires.
Hunters
- Check the interactive fire map to find out where the active wildland fires are in Ontario.
- Be aware of FireRangers who may be working in wildland areas.
- Check your surroundings for FireRanger activity before discharging your firearm to help keep everyone safe.
About Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services (AFFES)
Visit our forest, wildland and outdoor fires page for more information on AFFES and wildland fire management, including: