Canadian military to assist in Sandy Lake First Nation wildfire evacuations, says Carney

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 07, 2025 5:08 PM EDT | Last Updated: 40 minutes ago

Canadian Armed Forces troops volition assistance evacuate Sandy Lake First Nation, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Sunday morning, as a wildfire moves toward the northwestern Ontario community. 

Sandy Lake officials issued an evacuation bid Saturday, aft the fire, known arsenic Red Lake 12, was spotted moving northward toward the assemblage successful the province's Kenora district.

The First Nation is a fly-in assemblage located astir 600 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay.

On Saturday, 19 operation workers were trapped by the occurrence for respective hours portion helicopters attempted to rescue them but could not onshore due to the fact that of the heavy smoke. The radical huddled successful a shipping instrumentality until it began to drawback occurrence and yet escaped to the First Nation successful a conveyance convoy. 

"It conscionable engulfed connected them existent fast," Sandy Lake First Nation Chief Delores Kakegamic told CBC connected Sunday, adding that the operation unit had been trying to assistance retired by creating barriers to halt the occurrence from spreading. 

The enactment gait the unit was successful is simply a ample unfastened space, which whitethorn person fixed them much clip to escape, the main said. 

"Some of them are beauteous traumatized."

3,000 radical inactive waiting to beryllium flown out

Kakegamic said Canadian Armed Forces craft person truthful acold taken retired 500 Sandy Lake residents, but that determination stay astir 1,000 much "priority" residents — radical with wellness issues and young children, for illustration — who are waiting to beryllium picked up. 

Two 1000 much radical volition person to hold aft them, the main added, noting the assemblage has boats acceptable if needed.

Two CC-130H Hercules planes belonging to the subject came and went overnight and De Havilland Canada Dash 8 planes are besides being deployed, but cannot alert astatine capableness due to the fact that of the community's abbreviated runway.

Carney said Ontario had made a petition for national assistance "in effect to rapidly spreading wildfires" successful that portion of the province. 

The premier curate wrote connected X that CAF craft and unit person been deployed to enactment successful the exigency evacuations.

"To everyone who's been impacted by these fires: we're present for you. We're prepared to mobilize each assets needed to support Canadians safe," Carney wrote.

Air prime warnings

Ontario Forest Fires says successful a Facebook station that assemblage officials are asking residents to stitchery astatine the southeast country of Sandy Lake, wherever occurrence absorption unit are mobilizing boats.

Red Lake 12 has grown to a size of much than 66,000 hectares successful the region, and it is not yet nether control.

Smoke from the occurrence has pervaded galore parts of the province, starring to aerial prime statements and warnings.

The latest accusation astir wildfire enactment successful Ontario tin beryllium recovered connected the province's interactive occurrence map.