4 of 7 wildfires in northwestern Ontario still out of control: fire officials

Keena Alwahaidi · CBC News

· Posted: May 20, 2025 5:40 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

As wildfires successful northwestern Ontario proceed to rage, lawman occurrence main of Minaki Fire, Robert Creedon, says it's important to support assemblage anxiousness successful check.

"I've been noticing a batch of radical getting into antithetic panic modes," helium said. "If I get 1 question, I cognize there's astir apt 20 oregon much radical retired determination that person the aforesaid question." 

As of Tuesday, seven fires were burning passim northwestern Ontario. In Minaki, astir 54 kilometres by road northwest of Kenora, Creedon said the winds from the eastbound person altered slightly, blowing fume distant from the region.

"That's rather helpful," helium said, though helium notes determination are inactive periods of clip when residents are capable to odor smoke.  

With the changing circumstances, Creedon said the assemblage has stepped up to assistance occurrence efforts. The Ministry of Natural Resources is utilizing the erstwhile Minaki Lodge spot arsenic a base, arsenic good arsenic the Minaki Airport for incoming helicopters. 

"That's for chopper h2o bombing, and it's besides for bringing crews successful and out," helium said. 

The cooler upwind this outpouring has besides had a manus successful controlling the wildfires successful the region, but not for long. 

"We're inactive getting down to azygous digits astatine night, truthful that's helped with the fire," said Creedon. "But it is opening to lukewarm up again. We got precise small rainfall implicit the weekend, truthful there's besides drying conditions."

Significant wildfires stay not nether control

As of Monday, evacuation alerts for assorted regions stay successful place, according to Ontario Forest Fires.

Of the seven wildfires successful the region, the four most important ones had "very small maturation and minimal behaviour" implicit the weekend, Ontario occurrence accusation serviceman Alison Lake said successful an email. Those fires — Kenora 20, Kenora 14, Fort Frances 4 and Sioux Lookout 3 — are not nether control.

"Implementation orders stay successful spot astir each of these fires restricting entree to definite roads and waterways to support nationalist information and facilitate effectual occurrence suppression efforts," Lake said. 

She besides noted that cooler upwind conditions helped crews, including firefighters from Ontario and British Colombia, marque advancement successful the past fewer days.

"We are present entering a drying trend, however, and we are seeing the hazard commencement to rebound connected the occidental fractional of the region. This could effect successful immoderate accrued occurrence behaviour connected our progressive fires," said Lake. 

Preparing go-bags

While the fires are active, Creedon said the champion proposal helium tin springiness to assemblage members is to marque definite they are prepared, which tin assistance them trim their accent astir the situation. 

He said ensuring that important papers and medications are casual to find successful lawsuit radical bash request to evacuate rapidly is important. He besides suggested storing valuables successful a location wherever they tin beryllium easy picked up.  

"I'm not suggesting packing apparel yet, due to the fact that you privation caller apparel and freshly laundered apparel erstwhile you bash leave," helium said. "That mightiness beryllium 1 of those things to prevention for the past minute."