Natural Resources Minister Mike Harris says the wildfire situation in northern Ontario is moving in a reassuring direction as more than 80 fires have been extinguished in the past two weeks.
He says 159 wildfires are still raging, with 30 burning out of control.
The minister says more than 150 Ontario fire crews are working to suppress fires, aided by recent rainy cool weather and the arrival of more than 100 firefighters from Mexico earlier this week.
Emergency Preparedness Minister Jill Dunlop says 14 communities have evacuated due to the wildfires, though five have now returned home and another community is in the process of returning.
She says more than 2,000 people remain displaced from their communities.
The province has faced calls for a public inquiry into its wildfire response from First Nations leaders who accused Ontario of failing to offer timely support to communities that self evacuated as wildfires closed in.
Harris says the province does a “deep dive” into its response after each fire season, but the government is presently focused on fire suppression.
At a press conference on Thursday, Harris would not say if the province's wildfire review would be made public.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2026.
