Timmins Wildfire Approaches Highway 144, Firefighters Deploy Helicopters and Heavy Equipment

The ‘Timmins 9’ wildfire in northern Ontario has grown to 3,154 hectares and is now just 1.5 km from Highway 144, a key transport link between Timmins and Sudbury. The blaze is approximately 10 km from Gogama and seven kilometres west of the Mattagami First Nation, which has been evacuated.

The Ministry of Natural Resources reports that 15 fire‑ranger crews and a 20‑person incident‑management team are on scene. Four pieces of heavy equipment and five helicopters are being used to combat the fire, with medium‑size helicopters actively bucket‑dropping water on priority areas. Heavy equipment is focused on the eastern flank near the highway to protect the corridor.

Fire officials say crews are establishing and consolidating hose lines on the southern and western perimeter while additional equipment continues to be deployed to support suppression efforts.