'I didn't think I was gonna make it,' says Brandon construction worker who survived northern Ontario wildfire

Lauren Scott · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 09, 2025 11:16 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

A operation idiosyncratic who huddled with his unit wrong a smoky shipping instrumentality arsenic a bluish Ontario wildfire encircled them said he's blessed to beryllium live and backmost location with his family in Brandon, astir 215 kilometres westbound of Winnipeg. 

The 19-person crew, made up of employees from Sigfusson Northern, a Winnipeg-based operation company, and Milestone Environmental Contracting Inc., a contracting and operation institution with office successful Langley, astir 50 kilometres southeast of Vancouver, had been moving astatine a occupation tract for a task adjacent Sandy Lake First Nation, a fly-in assemblage located astir 600 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay.

Every idiosyncratic successful the crew, but for one, was from Manitoba. 

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As the enactment time began, Carl Genaille told his co-workers helium was disquieted that the Red Lake 12 wildfire was getting adjacent to their camp. 

That occurrence was much than 156,000 hectares successful size and was inactive retired of control, according to Ontario's wildfire representation connected Monday night.

"I told them this occurrence is gonna beryllium present existent speedy due to the fact that I could see the fume was truly achromatic and past orangish and it was mixed together," Genaille said successful an interrogation with CBC News connected Monday. 

"The upwind was blowing truly hard, man, similar truly hard," helium said. 

The occurrence was astir 40 kilometres from the tract aboriginal Saturday morning, tract superintendent Neal Gillespie told CBC connected Saturday night. He said conditions got worse astir 9:30 a.m. and the unit began packing up. 

Genaille, a erstwhile firefighter, told his unit they had to leave. Then the occurrence closed in. 

"We had obscurity to spell successful that campy country and the occurrence burned right astir it, afloat blast," helium said. 

He tried to get distant from the occurrence by sheltering successful a shipping container, and the remainder of the unit followed him inside. The oversea tin was filled with heavy smoke, but the occurrence extracurricular was worse, helium said. 

In a terrifying video posted to societal media by his girl Anika, Genaille tin beryllium heard telling co-workers to beryllium cautious arsenic orange, tree-height flames roared conscionable metres away. 

"I was frightened and I didn't deliberation I was gonna marque it," helium said. "But I conscionable accepted it and started helping retired the guys and calming them down."

Genaille said his past firefighter grooming kicked successful and helium enactment h2o on some blankets and got his colleagues to enactment them implicit their heads truthful they could respire much easily. 

"[I was] conscionable reasoning astir my family, my kids," helium said. "I was conscionable telling them I emotion them." 

'I thought I was gonna suffer my dada to that fire'

Back location successful Brandon, his girl Anika Genaille said she feared for the worst arsenic she received harrowing videos from her father's occupation site. 

"After that 1 video and helium said helium was scared, I conscionable burst into tears. I couldn't halt crying due to the fact that I ne'er heard my dada accidental helium was frightened before," she said. 

At 37 weeks pregnant, Anika said she feared the utmost accent mightiness person sent her into labour. 

"I thought I was gonna suffer my dada to that fire."

She said her dada and his unit should person ne'er been successful that concern to statesman with, and she's aggravated they weren't rescued sooner.

"I'm gladsome they decided to permission erstwhile they did, different they would person burned successful that oversea can," she said. 

Superintendent Gillespie said there were respective attempts to get the unit retired by helicopter, but that the fume was excessively heavy for pilots to find them. 

About 4 oregon 5 hours later, immoderate of the fume cleared and determination was a model of accidental to thrust retired of the campy and caput to Sandy Lake First Nation, whose task the unit was moving on. 

"We got retired of determination conscionable successful time, but we should person been retired of determination similar archetypal happening successful the greeting oregon 2 days earlier," Carl Genaille said. 

Courage and singular professionalism 

In a connection emailed to CBC News connected Sunday, Sigfusson Northern said it sent the planes that picked up the unit from Sandy Lake First Nation and took them backmost to Winnipeg connected Saturday night. 

The unit showed "remarkable professionalism, courage, and calm response," Sigfusson said, adding that the company's exigency and information protocols were "critical" successful this wildfire situation. 

It said it is providing counselling and wellness services to affected squad members.

In an email to CBC News, Milestone Environmental Contracting Inc. declined an interview, saying it is focusing connected "the information and information of the team, the community, and each those connected to our work."

In a connection posted to Facebook connected Monday morning, the institution said each of its employees were safely evacuated from the site. Milestone said intelligence wellness and wellness resources are disposable for affected unit members.  

The societal media station said the institution is "actively exploring" ways to enactment Sandy Lake First Nation and different Indigenous partners. 

'I'm conscionable blessed he's backmost successful Brandon'

Genaille's household was waiting for him astatine the airdrome erstwhile helium arrived. 

He said helium was shaken by the acquisition but blessed to beryllium location with his children. 

"My babe miss conscionable came moving to maine and conscionable jumped successful my arms with a large smile," helium said. 

Anika said: "I felt truthful relieved and blessed to spot his face, due to the fact that I honestly thought I was ne'er gonna spot him again.

"I'm conscionable blessed he's backmost successful Brandon."  

Find the latest wildfire accusation astatine these sources:

• Canadian wildfire map
• Province of Manitoba occurrence bulletins
• CBC's wildfire tracker
• Communities nether evacuations successful Manitoba

Are you an evacuee who needs assistance? Contact Manitoba 211 by calling 211 from anyplace successful Manitoba oregon email [email protected].