Here's the latest on northwestern Ontario's forest fires: Tuesday, July 21
There were 140 active wildland fires burning in northwestern Ontario as of Monday evening, according to Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources.
Of those, 47 were listed as not under control, six were being held, seven were under control, and the rest were being observed.
Evacuation alerts are in effect for areas near the following fires:
The largest wildfire in the region, known as Thunder Bay 36, remains out of control, and spans more than 318,000 hectares.
"FireRanger crews, helicopters and heavy equipment operators are assigned to suppression efforts," Ontario's Aviation, Forest Fires and Emergency Services (AFFES) said in Monday evening's update. "Favourable weather conditions have helped to reduce fire behaviour, allowing for crews to make good progress on the fire line."
Forest fire danger ratings are mostly low across the northwest region, with areas of moderate hazard in the Kenora, Dryden and Fort Frances sectors, and a pocket of high hazard in the Sioux Lookout area.
Highway closures in effect
According to the province's interactive highway map, the closure of Highway 527 at Gull Bay First Nation has been extended to the Highway 811 junction.
Highway 811 is also closed due to ongoing wildfire activity, apart from local traffic evacuating the area.
In an update issued Monday evening, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) North West Region said, "The OPP is currently assisting the MNR with an evacuation order of Gull Bay First Nation, which was previously under a self-evacuation. Individuals living in areas under mandatory evacuation orders have been asked to leave their residence immediately and seek safety away from active fires."
"Other communities are being monitored, and residents are urged to stay informed and be prepared to act quickly should further evacuation orders or advisories be issued," the release continued. "Additional information will be issued as it becomes available."
No new fires reported in the northeast
No new fires were reported in northeastern Ontario on Monday.
As of Monday evening, there were 43 active wildland fires in the northeast region. Of these, five were not under control, one was being held, five were under control, and the rest were being observed.
In a Facebook post on Monday, the province noted that "Wawa 17 is not under control at 37.2 hectares and is located approximately 15 kilometres northeast of Pic Mobert and east of White Lake. Four FireRanger crews are continuing to make good progress on this fire."
Forest fire danger ratings range from low to moderate across the northeast, with a pocket of high hazard in the Cochrane district.
Location of evacuations
This year’s wildfire season has forced more than a dozen communities and areas to evacuate in recent days, including 10 First Nations.
As of Monday, roughly 2,415 people had evacuated to host communities across Ontario, including Thunder Bay, Kenora, Fort Frances, Lac Seul, Sioux Lookout, Red Lake, Barrie, Niagara Falls and Toronto.
A total of 312 air purifiers, 84 air filters and five air scrubbers have also been deployed to several communities affected by wildfire smoke, according to the Ontario Corps.
As part of these efforts, Feed Ontario and the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres are transporting and distributing food to evacuees.
GlobalMedic has also delivered essential supplies to the Thunder Bay reception centre at the Fort William Gardens.
Some city facilities and programs reopening
As of Monday, the City of Thunder Bay was reopening many outdoor facilities and programs that were temporarily impacted by wildfire smoke.
City crews are expected to resume outdoor work with enhanced health and safety measures, including, where appropriate, respiratory protection and more frequent breaks.
A wildfire evacuee reception centre is open at the Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay, Ont. (Sheehan Desjardins/CBC)
The following service changes are in effect:
The splash pads at County Park, Franklin Street, North End Park, Northwood Playfield, and Prince Arthur's Landing are open.
Outdoor pools and supervised beaches are open and operating normally.
Children's and Youth programming is proceeding as scheduled.
Golf courses, the Centennial Botanical.
Conservatory and Legion Track are open and operating normally.
Seasonal Park washrooms have re-opened.
Collection crews are continuing to pick up garbage from business and multi-residential units, with the regularly scheduled collection service to resume on Tuesday.
Essential city services, including transit and emergency services, are also running.
The city said it will continue to monitor conditions closely and is prepared to adjust operations should air quality deteriorate.
WATCH: Doug Ford provides update on wildfire situation in northern Ontario
The story was originally written by Nicky Shaw and published for CBC News. With files from Liam Baker and Sarah Law.