Ontario Premier Doug Ford was scheduled to meet today with evacuees and community leaders affected by wildfires in the province's northwest.

Ford's trip to Thunder Bay comes as First Nation leaders call on the province to declare a state of emergency over the situation.

Ford and Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford were slated to meet with Indigenous leaders and wildfire evacuees at a hotel in the city.

The premier's schedule also lists him visiting the command centre for Ontario's response to the wildfires.

Thousands of people have been evacuated from First Nations communities as the province battles a wildfire season that's more aggressive than usual.

Officials said this week that the number of wildfires is nearly double the 10-year average.