Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources is listing 173 wildfires as active this morning in Ontario’s north, including 12 that had been sparked in the last 24 hours.
Early estimates suggest the flames have ravaged more of the province’s forests this season than any previous year on record, burning through more than 7,250 square kilometres so far.
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Most of the fires in the province have burned in the last 10 days, and forced more than 1,800 people from their homes. Twelve of the 13 evacuated communities are First Nations.
On Tuesday, First Nations leaders called for a public inquiry into Ontario’s wildfire response, accusing the province of leaving communities to fend for themselves without timely support for evacuations.
Earlier in the day, Premier Doug Ford said his government had done everything it could to respond to the wildfires. The province has said some of the fires spread so quickly they were only seen once they were dangerously close to First Nations.
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