Premier Doug Ford is set to meet with evacuees and first responders in Thunder Bay on Saturday, where many people fleeing from the northern Ontario wildfires have gone.

Ford is expected to be joined by Natural Resources Minister Mike Harris.

There are nearly 200 wildfires burning in the province, sending thick smoke across Ontario and into parts of the United States.

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Several Ontario communities — including Armstrong, Whitesand First Nation, Collins First Nation and Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe Nation (Lac La Croix First Nation) — are under evacuation order as fire rips through.

Other communities are preparing for possible evacuations.

Minister of Emergency Preparedness Jill Dunlop said on Thursday she had requested help from Ottawa, including the military, to speed up evacuations in the north.

— with a file from Isaac Callan