Deer Lake First Nation evacuation begins as wildfires ramp up across the region

Sarah Law · CBC News

· Posted: May 29, 2025 2:27 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

As crews enactment to douse a twelve wildfires successful northwestern Ontario, caller restrictions are present successful spot to forestall further occurrence damage.

On Wednesday, Deer Lake First Nation called for a assemblage evacuation owed to a 100-hectare wildfire known arsenic Red Lake 12, located adjacent the distant community's airport.

CL415 h2o bombers worked passim the day until acheronian to trim the fire's intensity. By morning, it had grown to astir 2,500 hectares.

While it is moving successful a westerly absorption distant from the community, main and assembly person requested a Phase 1 evacuation of susceptible radical starting Thursday, said Chris Marchand, occurrence accusation serviceman with Ontario's Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services (AFFES).

"That surely illustrates the precise adust conditions that we're seeing and person seen implicit the past respective weeks," Marchand told CBC News successful an interrogation Thursday afternoon.

"This country adjacent to the Manitoba borderline has not seen much than 10 millimetres of rainfall successful weeks, and determination truly isn't a batch to look guardant to successful the forecast."

About 1,100 radical unrecorded successful Deer Lake, an Oji-Cree assemblage successful Treaty 5 located astir 180 kilometres northbound of Red Lake. It is lone accessible by aerial oregon wintertime road.

"The Ministry of Emergency Preparedness and Response is actively co-ordinating with assemblage leadership, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Indigenous Services Canada to enactment the harmless evacuation of susceptible residents from Deer Lake First Nation," ministry officials told CBC News successful an email Thursday afternoon.

"Evacuees volition beryllium hosted successful the Toronto region, wherever they volition person wraparound enactment services."

CBC News has besides reached retired to assemblage enactment and officials and is waiting to hear backmost from them.

Further south, Wabaseemoong Independent Nations has been nether an evacuation bid since May 13; evacuees are staying successful Niagara Falls, Kenora and Winnipeg owed to Kenora 20, which is present 34,000 hectares large.

Meanwhile, eastbound of Deer Lake, Webequie First Nation issued a pre-evacuation announcement to its members connected Wednesday, urging them to make 72-hour exigency kits owed to Nipigon 5, which is wrong 1 kilometre of the First Nation. 

"Out of caution, main and council, alongside wellness officials, are advising each residents — particularly those with respiratory conditions oregon chronic wellness issues — to stay indoors arsenic overmuch arsenic possible. Air prime and occurrence question volition proceed to beryllium monitored connected an hourly basis," the First Nation said successful an update issued Thursday.

Ontario's Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, alongside Environment and Climate Change Canada, person issued peculiar aerial prime statements for overmuch of the northwest.

These span arsenic acold northbound arsenic Fort Severn, eastbound to Geraldton, southbound to Dryden and westbound to Kenora, affecting much than a twelve First Nations.

On Wednesday evening, Ontario's (AFFES) reported that:

• Five fires are nether control.
• Three fires are being held.
• Three fires are not nether control. 
• Four fires person been called retired implicit the past 24 hours.

New restricted occurrence portion successful effect Friday

As of midnight connected Friday, Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources is enforcing a caller restricted occurrence portion successful the northwest.

Another restricted occurrence portion has been successful effect since May 16, including areas betwixt the U.S. and Manitoba borders to Atikokan, and northbound to Pickle Lake.

The caller restricted portion extends eastward from the existing boundaries adjacent Upsala and Quetico Park successful the south to encompass the Thunder Bay area, with the Nipigon River acting arsenic the caller eastbound boundary, Marchand explained.

"At a clip erstwhile we person important occurrence enactment that is affecting assorted communities and engaging truthful overmuch of our resources, it's important that we instrumentality these measures to bounds the imaginable for human-caused fires astatine this time," helium said.

Under a restricted occurrence zone, nary open-air burning, including campfires, is permitted. 

"Portable state oregon propane stoves whitethorn beryllium utilized for cooking and warmth but indispensable beryllium handled with utmost caution. All burning permits are suspended," Ontario Forest Fires says connected its website.

The City of Thunder Bay is besides issuing its ain occurrence ban, which volition spell into effect astatine 12:01 a.m. Friday.

No open-air burning volition beryllium permitted, and each pain permits suspended, until the provincial restricted occurrence portion is lifted, Thunder Bay Fire Rescue said successful a media merchandise issued Thursday.