NW Forest Fire Region Update – August 18

August 18, 2026 at 6:13 p.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT).

There were 2 new wildland fires confirmed in the Northwest Region by the evening of August 18.

• Kenora 30 (KEN030) is located near Highway 17, approximately 2 kilometers south of McConnell Lake. The 0.1-hectare fire is not under control.
• Kenora 31 (KEN031) is located near the south end of Ord Lake, approximately 17 kilometers east of Highway 105. The 0.1-hectare fire is not under control.

At the time of this update there are 78 active wildland fires in the Northwest Region. Of those fires, 9 are not under control, 3 are being held, 10 are under control and 56 are being observed.

Fires of note

The Rinker Lake Complex – Thunder Bay 36 (THU036), Dryden 34 (DRY034), Dryden 35 (DRY035)

• Wildland fire activity across the Complex remains low.
• 30 FireRangers crews – made up of personnel from Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Mexico.
• Fourteen helicopters are dedicated to the Rinker Lake Complex.
• FireRanger crews continued to clear hotspots across the complex, finding some areas with considerable heat. However, long stretches of the perimeter have now been cleared and rechecked, with no heat or hotspots detected.
• THU036 is currently measuring 301,240 hectares and remains not under control.
• DRY034 is currently measuring 45,800 hectares and remains not under control.
• DRY035 is currently measuring 30,201 hectares and remains not under control.

Atikokan Cluster – Fort Frances 13 (FOR013), Fort Frances 14 (FOR014), Fort Frances 15 (FOR015)

• Crews continue to seek out and extinguish hotspots identified by infrared scans and demobilize equipment from areas where the fire perimeter has been contained. Helicopters are being utilized for crew and equipment movement as well as bucketing support as required.
• Recent rainfall has helped keep fire behaviour to a minimum.
• FOR013 is currently measuring 25,313 hectares and remains being observed.
• FOR014 is currently measuring 51,768 hectares and remains not under control.
• FOR015 is currently measuring 42,273 hectares and remains not under control.

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