Smoke from Red Lake Fire 12, near Sandy Lake First Nation, drifts over forest on June 7, 2025. Image: Ontario Forest Fires Facebook page
Fire crews in Northwestern Ontario are monitoring 52 active wildfires across the region after five new blazes were confirmed by Sunday evening.
Among the latest is Red Lake 99, burning near Grist Lake, which is the largest of the new fires at 394 hectares and not under control. Red Lake 101 has also drawn attention after crossing into Ontario from Manitoba. That fire is currently 227.5 hectares and continues to burn within Woodland Caribou Provincial Park.
Other new fires include Red Lake 98 near Hornby Lake, Red Lake 100 west of Poplar Hill First Nation, and Red Lake 102 northwest of Nechigona Lake. Of those, only Red Lake 100 is under control.
Across the Northwest Region, fire crews are actively suppressing fires, holding others, and observing many more. Thirteen remain not under control. The wildfire hazard is listed as low to moderate in most areas, but high to extreme along the Ontario–Manitoba border, especially near Weeskayjahk Ohtahzhoganeeng Provincial Park.
Travel restrictions remain in place near Red Lake 62, where crews continue working to contain the nearly 31,400-hectare blaze with support from aircraft, engines and heavy equipment. The fire has seen some rainfall over the past 24 hours, helping to ease behaviour, but remains a priority for the region’s incident management team.
Meanwhile, Red Lake 12—now over 195,000 hectares—remains the largest active fire in the region. It is being observed near Deer Lake and Sandy Lake First Nations.
Fire officials continue to urge people to respect emergency orders and stay out of restricted zones to support safety and firefighting operations.