As 2 dozen wildfires burn across northwestern Ontario, 3 First Nations still under evacuation

Sarah Law · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 15, 2025 3:42 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

While pain bans person been lifted crossed overmuch of northwestern Ontario, provincial authorities pass radical to stay cautious portion crews contend with 2 twelve fires successful the region. Meanwhile the First Nations communities of Deer Lake, Webequie and Sandy Lake stay nether evacuation orders. 

As of Friday, each evacuation and restricted entree orders had been removed from the Kenora district, with implementation orders besides lifted successful areas adjacent 2 wildfires known arsenic Kenora 20 and Kenora 32.

"Wildland occurrence suppression activities are ongoing connected Kenora 20 and Kenora 32 but nationalist information relating to these fires is nary longer a concern," Ontario Forest Fires said successful its latest update Saturday night.

"Lifting the RFZ [restricted occurrence zone] does not mean we tin fto our defender down erstwhile it comes to preventing human-caused fires. We each request to stay vigilant and support information apical of caput erstwhile having outdoor fires."

The region's largest wildfire — Red Lake 12 — saw much enactment connected Saturday owed to wide skies and north/northwest winds.

The fire, precocious described arsenic a 'sleeping giant,' is much 175,000 hectares large, and triggered the evacuation of hundreds of radical from Deer Lake First Nation and much than 2,000 radical from Sandy Lake First Nation.

"At Sandy Lake, Fire[R]anger crews person astir completed structural extortion objectives and are continuing to found a occurrence interruption astir the westbound broadside of the assemblage aided by dense equipment," Ontario Forest Fires said successful Saturday's update.

On Thursday night, the main of North Spirit Lake First Nation posted connected Facebook that evacuation efforts successful his assemblage person been paused. The assemblage declared a authorities of exigency connected June 8 aft its connection infrastructure was compromised owed to Red Lake 12, the First Nation says.

"We inactive person a authorities of exigency successful effect for different 30 days oregon so," main Brandon Rae wrote successful the North Spirit Lake 238 Facebook group. "We're inactive not retired of the woods yet. But present we are prepared and person everything acceptable to execute an [evacuation] successful a moment's notice."

Meanwhile, hundreds of evacuees from Webequie First Nation stay successful confederate Ontario owed to Nipigon 5, which is much than 10,800 hectares large.

"Minimal occurrence behaviour has been observed and determination has been nary alteration to the occurrence perimeter successful respective days. FireRanger crews are focusing efforts connected extinguishing hotspots connected the northeast and southeast arms of the fire," the state says.

Newer occurrence of interest eastbound of Cat Lake

Alison Bezubiak, a occurrence accusation serviceman with Ontario's Aviation, Forest Fires and Emergency Services (AFFES) successful the northwest region, told CBC News connected Sunday that officials are paying adjacent attraction to a occurrence confirmed connected June 7 called Sioux Lookout 18, which is much than 20,000 hectares ample and located eastbound of Cat Lake First Nation.

"It has enactment connected important maturation this play nether the sunny skies and warmer temperatures, truthful FireRanger crews are focusing connected values extortion with sprinklers and establishing hose lines connected the southwest broadside of the occurrence nearest to the assemblage of Cat Lake First Nation," Bezubiak said.

"Aerial suppression efforts person been dependable for the past fewer days and volition proceed contiguous with ongoing enactment from bucketing helicopters and CL-415 h2o bombers."

As the incidental commandant remains successful adjacent interaction with assemblage leadership, she said, ample swaths of fume person go an expanding concern, and person made it hard to pinpoint the fire's precise determination and proximity to Cat Lake.

A fig of peculiar aerial prime statements, jointly issued by Ontario's Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks and Environment and Climate Change Canada, stay successful effect owed to wildfire smoke, affecting:

• Big Trout Lake.
• Cat Lake.
• Kasabonika.
• Macdowell.
• Pickle Lake.
• Pikangikum.
• Poplar Hill.
• Sachigo Lake.
• Sandy Lake.
• Wunnummin Lake.

More terrible aerial prime warnings are affecting areas around:

• Bearskin Lake.
• Big Trout Lake.
• Deer Lake.
• Kingfisher Lake.
• Pickle Lake.
• Pikangikum.
• Sachigo Lake.
• Sandy Lake.
• Summer Beaver.
• Weagamow Lake.
• Wunnummin Lake.

The wildland occurrence hazard is chiefly precocious crossed the confederate information of northwestern Ontario, and precocious to utmost crossed the bluish half, the state says.

People tin presumption the province's interactive wood occurrence representation online for the latest accusation connected the fires burning closest to them. They tin besides study wildfires they observe to 310-FIRE.