Ontario Natural Resources Minister Mike Harris gave an update on Tuesday about the wildland fires that have been affecting the province for the past month.
Alongside Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response Jill Dunlop and Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation Greg Rickford, Harris shared information regarding the response and recovery efforts related to the largest fire in Ontario’s history.
“We have the largest fire on record here in Ontario, which at its biggest was around 350,000 hectares,” Harris said. “So, to put that into perspective, that’s about 350,000 football fields.”
Or approximately 900,000 acres.
As firefighting efforts continue across Ontario, Harris mentioned there were 152 active fires as of Tuesday, with 12 of them still not under control. More than 150 provincial fire crews, including helicopters and water bombers, are working together with partners across Canada and North America to support emergency operations against these challenging fires.
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Smoke from Ontario wildland fires produced smoke that clouded Toronto skies.
Roxanne Ali-Robinson / BTPM News
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Smoke from Ontario wildland fires produced smoke that clouded Toronto skies.
Roxanne Ali-Robinson / BTPM News
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Smoke from Ontario wildland fires produced smoke that clouded Toronto skies.
Roxanne Ali-Robinson / BTPM News
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Smoke from Ontario wildland fires produced smoke that clouded Toronto skies.
Roxanne Ali-Robinson / BTPM News
The wildland fires have now decreased by about 60,000 hectares or roughly 148,000 acres. With over 160 fires declared out, Harris noted there’s still more work ahead but progress is being made.
“While we’re not in the clear here in Ontario yet, the progress we’re making in containing these fires is allowing some implementation and evacuation orders to be lifted, which is great news so that communities can return home,” he said.
Rickford stated that repatriation remains a key focus for the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation despite its complexities.
“I can speak to what’s going on more frequently now, and that’s repatriation,” Rickford said. “It’s incredibly stressful, and we remain engaged on the ground through text messages, phone calls, and other means as communities come back to their homes. It can be quite unsettling.”
A major concern raised during the update was criticism regarding how the government responded in First Nations communities affected by the wildfires.
Rickford said they’ve doubled their efforts to meet the needs of First Nations during this crisis. Dunlop mentioned there have been ongoing initiatives to assist impacted communities including having held over 113 coordination calls with First Nation chiefs along with community leaders and officials.
“I want to reiterate that our government is committed to supporting affected communities for as long as needed,” Dunlop said. “To date we have delivered312 air purifiers five air scrubbersand84 replacement filters to help five First Nation communities remain in their areas. Deployed Feed Ontarioandthe Ontario Federationof Indigenous Friendship Centres, to transportanddistributefood.”
Harris also addressed comments regarding frustration among residents who feel evacuations came too late. He explained that tracking such fast-moving flames was difficult due to how quickly they started burning.
“The numberoffiresthatstartedina veryshorttimeframe, we were already fightingfiresintheprovince, andthentryingtotrackthosefires, the newstartsmakeit extremelychallenging,”Harris said.
The remote locations of certain fires also complicate evacuation processes or issuing warnings for nearby residents. He urged communities to stay alert and evacuate when necessary even if no formal warning has been given.
“If you see fires starting and you’re abletoevacuate, you should do it,” Harris said.“You don’t necessarilyhave toworryabout waitingforthe MNR orthegovernmenttocomeinandsayyou better get out. Folks inthelocalareas knowtheircommunitiesbetterthananybodyelse.”
Harris acknowledged how much residents have lost but also highlighted a silver lining amid this disaster.
“Folksthat havelostcottages, personalbelongings, theirhomes, businesses, it’sabsolutelyterrible,”hesaid.”Butatthe same time – no loss of life. It’sextremelyimportanttoremember.”
Harris emphasized safety remains top priority fortheprovinceas they continue battlingtheflames.
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