As northwestern Ontario's largest wildfire is being held, evacuees continue to return home

Sarah Law · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 07, 2025 4:40 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

Hundreds of wildfire evacuees are continuing to instrumentality to Sandy Lake First Nation, present that northwestern Ontario's largest wildfire is being held. 

Red Lake 12 — a occurrence that's grown to much than 195,000 hectares — prompted assemblage evacuations successful aggregate distant First Nations astatine the extremity of May and into aboriginal June. 

The repatriation of immoderate 2,000 members of Sandy Lake began connected Friday. The distant Oji-Cree assemblage successful Treaty 5 territory is much than 600 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay.

"We admit your patience. Things volition change, and alteration again. Weather delays, mechanical issues, and emergencies," Sandy Lake First Nation said successful an update connected Facebook connected Monday afternoon.

According to its update, much than 500 radical who were staying successful Niagara Falls are present backmost successful Sandy Lake. Meanwhile, those who were staying successful Beaver Lake are expected to beryllium location by Tuesday.

Evacuees successful Kapuskasing volition proceed to committee flights location until astatine slightest Thursday, with flights from Mississauga scheduled into Wednesday, wherever evacuees volition archetypal halt successful Thunder Bay earlier being transferred onto Dash 8 planes to Sandy Lake. 

Further flights for evacuees staying successful Peterborough, Barrie and Thunder Bay are expected successful the coming days, the First Nation said.

Those staying successful backstage accommodations successful Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, Sioux Lookout and Dryden are expected to beryllium flown retired erstwhile the bulk of residents person returned location from different big communities.

Meanwhile, much than 800 wildfire evacuees from Deer Lake First Nation began their travel location from Toronto astatine the extremity of June.

Crews tracking suspected lightning fires 

In its latest update Monday evening, Ontario Forest Fires said occurrence behaviour remains debased connected Red Lake 12. The occurrence "currently has 18 firefighting crews assigned to 3 divisions connected the fire's southbound and eastbound perimeters. Crews are supported by 7 helicopters."

"Crews proceed to patrol for smoke to enactment retired hotspots passim the confederate and eastbound sections of the occurrence today. Bucketing helicopters volition beryllium utilized to enactment retired hotspots arsenic required," Ontario Forest Fires' website says.

Meanwhile, crews are taking down pumps and hoses wherever they are nary longer needed and shipping instrumentality retired of Deer Lake and Sandy Lake implicit the adjacent fewer days.

Still, astatine slightest 42 wildfires are burning crossed northwestern Ontario which are being tracked connected the province's interactive wood occurrence map. The wildland occurrence hazard is mean to debased crossed the confederate portion of the region, including Kenora, Dryden Fort Frances and Thunder Bay.

However, Red Lake and astir of the acold northbound is nether precocious hazard with pockets of utmost hazard, Ontario Forest Fires says.

"Suspected lightning fires proceed to aboveground implicit caller days, peculiarly successful the acold northbound portions of the Red Lake and Sioux Lookout occurrence absorption areas which [have] received little rainfall than different parts of the northwest portion besides experiencing lightning," it says.

As always, radical are advised to abide by Ontario's outdoor burning regulations, which stay successful effect until Oct. 31.