Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services reported 12 new wildland fires in the northeast region over the past week, with the active fire count fluctuating daily before dropping significantly.
The new fires, confirmed between Aug. 17-23, varied in size and status. The largest was Sudbury 39, reported on Aug. 22 at 1.7 hectares near the Greater Sudbury community of Hanmer.
Initial attack on that fire “was carried out using aerial suppression from two CL-415 waterbombers and helicopters, followed closely by fire ranger crews,” according to officials with the Ministry of Natural Resources.
That fire was declared out Saturday.
Most other new fires were 0.5 hectares or smaller and were declared out within a day or two of being detected.
A week of fluctuating fire activity
The week began with four new fires confirmed on Aug. 17, including Haliburton 23, which was not under control that day. By the next evening, that fire and several others, including Haliburton 22 and Sudbury 34, were declared out.
Fire activity continued through the week, with two new fires on Aug.19, three on Aug. 20, one on Aug. 21, the significant Sudbury 39 on Aug. 22 and a final small fire on Aug. 23 that was quickly extinguished.
Officials also noted progress on larger incidents.
“We are pleased to share that Haliburton 19 and Out of Fire Region 1 are now deemed out,” said the ministry in a social media post on Wednesday. “A big thank you to our fire rangers, pilots, staff and City of Kawartha Lakes firefighters and emergency response personnel for all your hard work, fast action and collaboration that made this possible.”
Active fires drop to three
The number of active fires in the northeast region dropped from 22 on Aug. 17 to just three by Saturday evening. All three remaining fires – Cochrane 7, Cochrane 16, and Cochrane 17 – are in the Cochrane district and are being observed. Cochrane 7, first reported on June 17, is now 31,219 hectares in size.
An active fire season across the province
Provincially, there have been 503 fires to date in the 2025 season, which is below the 10-year average of 635 but above the 327 fires recorded in 2024.
Fire hazard remains a concern in the south
The wildland fire hazard across the northeast region has varied throughout the week. It was initially reported as “low to high” with the Kawartha Highlands area experiencing a “high to extreme” hazard. The hazard later became “moderate to high” across most of the region.
As of Saturday’s Ontario forest fire update, the hazard is “low across most of the northeast region,” except for areas from North Bay southward, where conditions “range from moderate to extreme.”
Additionally, a fire ban remains in effect for all provincial parks.
The public is encouraged to check Ontario’s Forest Fire interactive map for current fire hazard conditions or the status of any active fires.