Thousands of people are being evacuated across northwestern Ontario as wildfires continue to ravage the region.
Ontario Provincial Police said Thursday that they’re assisting in evacuation efforts in Armstrong, Whitesand First Nation, Collins First Nation, Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe Nation (Lac La Croix First Nation) and surrounding area, and Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation and surrounding area.
“Other communities are being monitored, and residents are urged to stay informed and be prepared to act quickly should further evacuation orders or advisories be issued,” the OPP said.
There were 136 active wildfires in the northwest region as of 8 p.m. Wednesday, according to data from the Ontario government. Of the fires, 63 are considered to be out of control.
OPP said residents are “strongly advised” not to travel to areas under mandatory evacuations as the situation is “dynamic and unpredictable.”
“Fire behaviour, including the size and direction of a wildfire, can change rapidly due to weather conditions and other factors,” they said.
Highway 599, between Highway 516 and Mishkeegogamang First Nation, and Highway 527 at Gull Bay First Nation are fully closed in both directions, with the exception of some local traffic evacuating the area, the OPP said.
The chief and council of Whitesand First Nation ordered a full community evacuation on Sunday as fires encroached, but a mandatory evacuation was not issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources until Thursday.
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“Throughout the day, Whitesand raised serious concerns, but was repeatedly assured there was no immediate threat and that the smoke was coming from more distant fires,” Devon Wanakamik, the incident commander for Whitesand First Nation, said at a news conference in Thunder Bay Thursday. “Resources have since been mobilized and the chief and council are grateful for the efforts now underway, but they believe earlier action could not have been better protected communities and reduced the risks faced by the people.”
But Wanakamik said 26 people from Whitesand First Nation have since returned to help in firefighting operations.
“They went to the community to go help and assist with creating a fire break with our existing heavy machinery that we have in the community,” he said. “We’re hoping that the fire behavior and Mother Nature behaves with us and is on our side during these times.”
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Evacuee Jim Kwandebance said he wanted to go back and help but wasn’t selected.
“This is not where I want to be. I’d rather be in the bush where I was born and raised. I’m not a city person. It’s very emotional. I want to go back home and help all my other comrades over there,” he said.
Susie Veltri is organizing donations in Thunder Bay for evacuees. She told Global News personal items like shoes, clothes, shampoo and other toiletries are needed the most.
“They have nothing. Some of them got in a boat, with their dogs, and barely made it,” she said.
She said her role right now is just to care.
“I’m here to help organize the donations, hug people and tell them ‘you’re safe’,” she said. “We don’t have to know them, we don’t have to be a part of a group. We just have to care.”
While people are scrambling to evacuate, the Northern Reach Rescue Network is looking for foster families to help care for pets displaced by evacuations.
“Families are being forced to evacuate their communities with little notice. In the chaos, many beloved pets are being left behind or urgently need a safe place while their families get to safety,” the organization said in a post on social media.
The organization said it is looking for people in Thunder Bay to take pets into their homes temporarily, and for rescue organizations in southern Ontario to welcome displaced pets into some of their ongoing programs.
by the way the ring of fire is on fire? I believe Northern Ontario should separate from S Ont and use the profits from our mineral resources to protect the residents of the Province of Northern Superior/James Bay
by the way the natural gas pipeline is 4km from the fire, maybe when it is closed and natural gas stops to Ottawa and S ON then the government will understand the importance of fighting wild fires?
These are NOT intentionally set fires, but due to dry conditions and lightning strikes. look at the fire map and see the line of fire started in June from strikes, from the us/canada border to the far north. We watched smoke from our campsite since mid june, from a fire 50km away. only to be told it would burn out. then the wind changed and it grew 5X the size and now is 5km away. people have lost their home and livelyhood. Would you set you employment on fire?
Maybe Canada Emergency Preparedness Liberal Minister can cut their 12 week summer “break” short and deal with the forest fires. Carney regime can’t pull the trigger on anything.
Intentionally set fires, no doubt. ClimateChange™
The cloud has been really hazy in the last few days
Meanwhile Carney is doing nothing an probably back in Europe hanging out with Davos elites.
Trudeau and Carney promised water bombers, and better forest fighting equipment years ago. So where is it? Trudeau was navel gazing and unfortunately Jasper was turned into ashes. The Emergency Preparedness under the Liberal Govt is quite frankly an embarrassment.
Forests are Provincial responsibility. While I agree climate change is occurring, and it poses an existential threat, we are under threat from the US so the pipeline should proceed. Arguably, this means other countries which produce oil will cut back. There is only so much oil demand.
Aren’t we glad that Carney approved that pipeline now? Who cares that the country is on fire? Who cares that the current pipelines aren’t going to be running at full capacity any time soon? Who cares that Albertans will just find a new thing to whine about? Not to mention Ford cutting the provinces firefighting budget – that’s just smart fiscal conservatism!
We can blame Carney as he cancelled the so called carbon tax that was prevent all this.
Carney and Ford have totally dropped the ball and let this get out of control.