Air quality warnings, burn bans in place as wildfires expand across northwestern Ontario

As wildfire smoke from northwestern Ontario and Manitoba pervades southern parts of the province, the region's wildfires continue to grow.

The area's biggest wildfire is Red Lake 12, which is more than 66,000 hectares large and not yet under control.

The fire prompted the evacuation of Deer Lake First Nation last week, sending hundreds of community members to Toronto. 

"Crews continue to work hoselines on the flanks of the fire closest to the community and maintain sprinkler setups on buildings and infrastructure," Ontario Forest Fires said in its latest update online Thursday night.

Meanwhile, provincial crews are tracking five other fires of note in the region:

Chris Marchand, fire information officer with Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services, said the forecast includes the possibility of "some meaningful, widespread rainfall."

"We're really hoping to see some reduction in fire behaviour as a result of that," Marchand said Friday afternoon. "That's probably going to be a somewhat-temporary reprieve, but it is definitely anticipated, and we hope it arrives without a lot of lightning associated with it."

Much of northwestern Ontario remains under a restricted fire zone, first issued in mid-May and then expanded at the end of the month.

"No open air burning, including campfires, is permitted within the boundaries of a restricted fire zone. Portable gas or propane stoves may be used for cooking and warmth but must be handled with extreme caution. All burning permits are suspended," Ontario Forest Fires says on its website.

Other restrictions in place include travel bans, use of waterways, and NOTAMS (notice to airmen) about limited drone usage permitted in the areas of Red Lake 12 and Nipigon 5.

The wildland fire hazard remains high to extreme across the region. As of Thursday night, there were 18 active fires being tracked, at various stages of control.

Marchand said the ongoing dry conditions have allowed fires to "dig deeper into the soil which requires more time and resources to extinguish."

"That's sort of an ongoing concern in terms of how receptive we are to new fires due to lightning."

As of Friday afternoon, several air quality warnings were in effect in the region, for areas including: