Deer Lake prepares to declare state of emergency over nearby wildfire

Kris Ketonen · CBC News

· Posted: May 30, 2025 11:19 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago

Deer Lake First Nation is preparing to state a authorities of exigency and evacuate each remaining members owed to a occurrence burning successful and astir the community.

As of Friday morning, the fire, known arsenic Red Lake 12, was conscionable implicit 7,100 hectares successful size and not nether control.

"It was astir 200 feet from our section set office," Deer Lake Chief Leonard Mamakeesick told CBC News connected Friday. "It's surrounded the airdrome already."

Mamakeesick said the occurrence worsened overnight owed to shifting winds. He said helium was moving connected getting a authorities of exigency declared.

While Deer Lake was already successful the process of evacuating vulnerable assemblage members, Mamakeesick said determination are inactive much than 1,000 radical successful the community. They'll beryllium taken to Toronto arsenic portion of the wide evacuation of the community.

Ontario FireRangers, meanwhile, are moving connected protecting the community, helium said, and person acceptable up sprinklers to support structures there.

Red Lake 12 is 1 of a fewer fires of enactment burning successful the portion this week, the provincial Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services (AFFES) said.

Nipigon 5 has grown to astir 2,000 hectares, and is not nether control. The occurrence is burning conscionable southbound of Webequie First Nation, which has issued a pre-evacuation alert.

Kenora 20 is astir 34,000 hecatres and not nether control. AFFES said crews are making "steady progress" connected the fire, which has dispersed into Manitoba. The occurrence is burning northwest of Kenora.

Kenora 14, meanwhile, is being held astatine astir 1,600 hectares. That occurrence is located southbound of Kenora.

Much of the northwest remains nether a restricted occurrence portion owed to the wood occurrence hazard. No unfastened burning is permitted.

'The fume is truly bad': Deer Lake resident

Deer Lake nonmigratory David Meekis spoke with CBC News connected Thursday astir the biology conditions resulting from the fire. 

"The fume is truly atrocious … you can't even, like, basal astir extracurricular that agelong owed to the smoke, you inhale it and it hurts your lungs truly bad," Meekis said. "It's beauteous hectic present close now."

Meekis said he's lasting by to get connected a database arsenic the authorities transportation retired an evacuation of the community. 

"They're evacuating radical to Toronto … they got unneurotic and started the evacuation database for people, like, kids archetypal and elders first," helium said.

"They're conscionable going by the ages and radical that can't truly bash much, similar radical that are connected dialysis, radical that are connected aesculapian — they're the ones that are getting picked first. Healthy radical similar me, they're waiting out, waiting for the different ones to spell first."

According to Meekis, radical person been advised that they could beryllium distant from the assemblage "three to 4 weeks," adding that helium has mixed feelings astir leaving.

"I don't consciousness similar leaving my dogs. I got 2 Huskies," helium said.

Meekis said the authorities are "going to fig thing retired however to provender them and look aft the animals erstwhile you leave. "

"Right present it's scary. We're benignant of frightened due to the fact that the occurrence is connected some sides of america and it's spreading accelerated and the wind's picking up too," Meekis said connected Thursday.

Special aerial prime statements successful effect

Environment Canada has besides issued peculiar aerial prime statements owed to wildfire fume for parts of the northwest, including:

• Thunder Bay.
• Atikokan.
• Ear Falls.
• Dryden.
• Kenora.
• Ighace.
• Fort Frances.
• Red Lake.
• Sioux Lookout.

Wildfire smoke, the statements reads, is expected to impact the portion passim the time Friday, and perchance successful to Saturday for immoderate areas.

Red Lake Mayor Fred Mota said the municipality is monitoring occurrence enactment successful the region, and remains successful changeless interaction with the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR).

"We're inactive remaining nether a restricted occurrence portion successful our area, evidently for bully crushed owed to the adust wood conditions," Mota said. "Lots of fume successful the area. We're fortunate successful our radius that there's nary adjacent fires astatine this time."

Forest fires caused the evacuation of Red Lake successful 2020, and the municipality was besides astir evacuated owed to occurrence enactment successful 2021.

"We privation to instrumentality each the precautions necessary," Mota said. "When I met with the MNR earlier successful the occurrence season, immoderate of the interest was the dryness."

"We had rather a spot of snow, but owed to each of the lukewarm upwind that we received, that snowfall melted disconnected precise rapidly and didn't saturate into the ground. And of course, we haven't had a batch of precipitation."