Wildfire-hit northwestern Ontario faces severe thunderstorm, tornado warnings

Environment Canada is warning of severe thunderstorms and the risk of tornadoes across parts of northwestern Ontario where crews are battling out-of-control wildfires. 

A tornado warning is in place from around the Manitoba boundary east to Armstrong and north of Red Lake. 

Environment Canada says the storm could bring Toonie to golf-ball sized hail, up to 50 millimetres of heavy rainfall and wind gusts of up to 110 km/h to some areas. 

Thunderstorm warnings extend all the way north to Hudson Bay, with the threat expected to pass by late this evening. 

Firefighting crews had taken advantage in recent days of milder conditions to make progress on the wildfires burning in northern Ontario.

Officials said Thursday night no new blaze had been reported in the last 24 hours, though more than 170 active fires continued to burn. 

More than 1,800 people have been forced from their homes as the province grapples with what early estimates suggest is its most devastating wildfire season on record.

Indigenous communities have borne the brunt of the fires, with First Nations making up 12 of the 13 evacuated communities.

Hundreds of people fleeing the fires are staying in Thunder Bay, Ont., though others are taking refuge further south in Toronto and Niagara Falls.

Indigenous leaders have called for a public inquiry into the Ontario government’s wildfire response, saying some communities were essentially left to fend for themselves, but Premier Doug Ford disagreed this week with the suggestion the province could have done more to prepare.

Ford said Tuesday his government did everything it could to deal with the fast-moving fires.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2026.