CANADA VIBES NEWSROOM · ÉDITION DU MATIN | MORNING EDITION — Thursday, July 23, 2026, 7:00 AM ET

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Dozens of wildfires continue to burn across northwestern Ontario, forcing the evacuation of multiple First Nations — some by military aircraft — as Thunder Bay reports running out of space to shelter displaced residents.

At least seven Indigenous communities are under evacuation orders, including Whitesand, Namaygoosisagagun (also known as Collins), Lac des Mille Lacs, Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe Nation (Lac La Croix) and Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek (Gull Bay), Ontario Provincial Police confirmed. The fire affecting the Armstrong and Whitesand area had grown past 350,000 hectares as of last week.

In Eabametoong, more than 1,600 residents are affected, with roughly 600 being flown out by military aircraft with support from the Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Rangers. In Namaygoosisagagun, community members fled by personal boat and vehicle as flames reached homes.

More than a dozen northwestern Ontario communities remain under mandatory evacuation orders, and Thunder Bay — the main host city for evacuees — says it has run out of room to accommodate new arrivals.

Indigenous leaders, including those from Eabametoong, are criticizing the lack of government coordination in the face of recurring climate-driven crises, calling for stable prevention funding rather than one-off emergency response.

What to watch

Weather conditions (heat, wind) over the coming days, shelter capacity in Thunder Bay and other host communities, and the risk of further evacuations if the fires keep spreading.

Sources

• CBC News, “Accommodations filling up as wildfires spur more evacuations in northwestern Ontario”
• CBC News, “‘Continue praying’: 460 Eabametoong First Nation members evacuated amid more wildfires”
• CBC News, “Leaders of First Nations hit by Ontario wildfires speak out”