Ontario Wildfires Hit Record Burned Area as Evacuations Continue
Officials say more than 1,800 people have been displaced as 190 active fires burn and 56 remain out of control.
- Ontario's wildfire season reached a record high on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, with fires burning through more than 7,250 square kilometres of forest, surpassing the previous record set in 2021.
- Severe thunderstorms and a scorching heat wave around Thunder Bay, where temperatures soared 15 degrees above seasonal norms, fueled the vast majority of fires over the past 10 days.
- The crisis forced evacuations of more than a dozen communities, including 10 First Nations across northern Ontario, amid 190 active wildfires burning according to provincial officials.
- An Incident Management Team has assumed command of Thunder Bay 36, the 318,812.7-hectare fire, while the province maintains a Restricted Fire Zone to prevent further human-caused blazes.
- Canadian Forest Service fire weather specialist Liam Buchart warned that "a complete reprieve is not really in the forecast," with conditions expected to remain hotter and drier into August.
42 Articles
42 Articles
Ontario records worst wildfire season on record as fires burn more than 7,250 sq. km.
Wildfires raging in northern Ontario appear to have pushed the province to its worst wildfire season on record. The province's latest numbers suggest fires have burned through more than 7,250 square kilometres of Ontario's forest, surpassing the previous record set in 2021. The preliminary estimate is likely to be revised once officials get a closer look at the devastation, but it stands as a sign of how quickly the season has worsened. The vas…
There are 190 active wildfires in the province of Ontario alone.
Global News
The RecordThis is Ontario’s worst wildfire season, early estimates suggest. It’s not over yet.
The province's latest numbers suggest fires have burned through more than 7,250 square kilometres of Ontario's forest, surpassing the previous record set in 2021.
More than 7250 square kilometres of forest have already burned, according to an estimate, thus surpassing the record established in 2021.
Fires in northern Ontario appear to have led the province to its worst ever recorded forest fire season.
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