Fire smoke in northwest Ontario prompts evacuation of First Nation members

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry said it had evacuated 354 people by airplane from the First Nation since Saturday.

Chief Johnny Yellowhead said those community members, as well as 79 others from the First Nation, have been set up in hotels in Kapuskasing, Ont.

“It’s very overwhelming, there’s a lot of distress,” said Yellowhead. “People are worried about their pets and their campgrounds, their personal belongings… it’s (frustrating) for the community members, they want to go home.”

Seven people from the First Nation volunteered to stay behind to help the Ministry of Natural Resources in its efforts to monitor and maintain the community, Yellowhead said. Two contractors, two nurses and one ministry employee were also still in the community, the ministry said.

MacLean said it had been a slow year overall for fires in the region but August has seen a high number of fires in a condensed area.

“In 2017, we had a quiet spring and early summer, and then we started to get storm systems tracking through after a period of dry weather,” she explained, saying that lightning from the storms is what had sparked some of the fires.

While forecasted rain is expected to help firefighters battle the blaze, MacLean said that rain is a “double-edged” sword because of the lightning that could accompany it.

She said the risk for fires will range from high to extreme during the upcoming weekend.

Fire-fighting aircrafts have been called in from Quebec and Minnesota to help fight the blazes in the area, she said.

For the Nibinamik First Nation, it’s not the first time that the community has dealt with the impact of a forest fire. In 1993, Yellowhead said a fire came up to the community, burning two outhouses.

Salmaan Farooqui, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Fire smoke in northwest Ontario prompts evacuation of First Nation members

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