4 of 7 wildfires in northwestern Ontario still out of control: fire officials
As wildfires in northwestern Ontario continue to rage, deputy fire chief of Minaki Fire, Robert Creedon, says it's crucial to keep community anxiety in check.
"I've been noticing a lot of people getting into different panic modes," he said. "If I get one question, I know there's probably 20 or more people out there that have the same question."
As of Tuesday, seven fires were burning throughout northwestern Ontario. In Minaki, approximately 54 kilometres by road northwest of Kenora, Creedon said the winds from the east have altered slightly, blowing smoke away from the region.
"That's quite helpful," he said, although he notes there are still periods of time when residents are able to smell smoke.
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With the changing circumstances, Creedon said the community has stepped up to help fire efforts. The Ministry of Natural Resources is using the former Minaki Lodge property as a base, as well as the Minaki Airport for incoming helicopters.
"That's for helicopter water bombing, and it's also for bringing crews in and out," he said.
The cooler weather this spring has also had a hand in controlling the wildfires in the region, but not for long.
"We're still getting down to single digits at night, so that's helped with the fire," said Creedon. "But it is beginning to warm up again. We got very little rain over the weekend, so there's also drying conditions."
Significant wildfires remain not under control
As of Monday, evacuation alerts for various regions remain in place, according to Ontario Forest Fires.
Of the seven wildfires in the region, the four most significant ones had "very little growth and minimal behaviour" over the weekend, Ontario fire information officer Alison Lake said in an email. Those fires — Kenora 20, Kenora 14, Fort Frances 4 and Sioux Lookout 3 — are not under control.
"Implementation orders remain in place around each of these fires restricting access to certain roads and waterways to protect public safety and facilitate effective fire suppression efforts," Lake said.
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She also noted that cooler weather conditions helped crews, including firefighters from Ontario and British Colombia, make progress in the last few days.
"We are now entering a drying trend, however, and we are seeing the hazard start to rebound on the western half of the region. This could result in some increased fire behaviour on our active fires," said Lake.
Preparing go-bags
While the fires are active, Creedon said the best advice he can give to community members is to make sure they are prepared, which can help them reduce their stress around the situation.
He said ensuring that important papers and medications are easy to find in case people do need to evacuate quickly is important. He also suggested storing valuables in a location where they can be easily picked up.
"I'm not suggesting packing clothes yet, because you want fresh clothes and freshly laundered clothes when you do leave," he said. "That might be one of those things to save for the last minute."
This article, originally published by CBC News on May 20, 2025, was written by Keena Alwahaidi.