More than half of Ontario's wildfires this year were in the northeast, MNR says

More than half of Ontario's 480 wildfires last summer were in northeastern Ontario, according to new data from the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Across the province, nearly 90,000 hectares of forest burned. MNR fire officer Chris Marchand said 262 of those fires were in the northeast region, covering 19,000 hectares.

More than half of Ontario's 480 wildfires last summer were in northeastern Ontario, according to new data from the Ministry of Natural Resources. (File)

Northwestern Ontario saw 218 wildfires, consuming a total of about 69,000 hectares.

While it was a less active year in Ontario compared to 2024, crews were kept busy helping Canadian provinces.

MNR Minister Graydon Smith said the province deployed equipment, 14 aircraft and close to 800 fire management personnel to Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador and the Northwest Territories.

"I’m proud and thankful for the work of Ontario’s FireRangers who bravely protect people and communities from wildland fire," Smith said in a news release.

"Not only did our highly skilled FireRangers, pilots and staff behind the scenes provide crucial support here at home, they also helped our partners across Canada, sharing expertise when they were needed."

Ontario firefighters were also deployed to the United States this summer to help crews struggling to get a grip on fires in their country.

"When we have the capacity to offer assistance to our neighbouring provinces and our other neighbours, we will do that and, and vice versa," Marchand said.

More than half of Ontario's 480 wildfires last summer were in northeastern Ontario, according to new data from the Ministry of Natural Resources. (File)

More than half of Ontario's 480 wildfires last summer were in northeastern Ontario, according to new data from the Ministry of Natural Resources. (File)

Fire management crews said it’s impossible to predict what sort of fire situation to expect in the summers ahead. Marchand said there are tons of weather trends and pattern variables that come into play during fire season.

"We really respond to that uncertainty by continuing to evolve and adapt our response as needed to protect communities and property in Ontario,” he said.

To be best prepared, the Ford and Trudeau governments are partnering to spend $64 million to bolster firefighting efforts.

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That includes contracting more aircraft, creating new jobs and providing firefighters and investigators with the same access to benefits as their municipal counterparts.

These investments, the ministry said, are being made to ensure that Ontario "remains an internationally recognized leader in wildland fire management and coordinates the protection of 90 million hectares of Crown land."

"It's very neat to see how everyone can work together within a common emergency management framework," Marchand said.