Sandy Lake First Nation evacuations continue, hundreds have left as major wildfire burns nearby

Kris Ketonen · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 10, 2025 6:16 AM EDT | Last Updated: 6 hours ago

Hundreds of members of Sandy Lake First Nation person near the distant Oji-Cree assemblage successful northwestern Ontario arsenic a large wildfire burns nearby.

The evacuation was ordered connected Saturday owed to the occurrence known arsenic Red Lake 12. As of Monday, the occurrence was much than 156,000 hectares successful size and not nether control.

"We're each frightened that our assemblage mightiness pain down," said Sandy Lake subordinate Dakota Fiddler during a stopover astatine the Thunder Bay airport. "I'm frightened too, due to the fact that I person household there."

Thunder Bay is acting arsenic a hub for the evacuation, with Sandy Lake members stopping successful the metropolis connected the mode to big cities elsewhere successful the province.

The Canadian subject is assisting with the evacuations.

Racheal Anishinabie, manager of Sandy Lake's Mamow Weechiwayin Program, said she and her squad person been assisting with the evacuations, arsenic well.

"We've really been helping with Ontario, they're conscionable truly short-handed," she said. "So we conscionable pitched in.

"What we've been doing is conscionable a batch of collaborating with them, getting people on and disconnected planes, and besides taking them to the assemblage hotels. Some of them person been staying overnight and then they're heading down southbound to Toronto, Mississauga, Ottawa, Cornwall, each those places."

"We've conscionable been supporting that way," Anishinabie said. "We've been feeding them, getting them coffee, taking them for aesculapian assistance."

Anishinabie said it's important that evacuees get supports from chap Sandy Lake members.

"A lot of our radical person anxiety," she said. "They near our assemblage and they spot … a occurrence close down the community.

"It's truly traumatizing for the kids, the adults, the youth, our elders, due to the fact that that's our home."

Evacuations proceed elsewhere successful the region

Red Lake 12 besides prompted the evacuation of Deer Lake First Nation past week.

"This occurrence benignant of originated rather adjacent to [Deer Lake], truthful their protections are a small much precocious successful presumption of what fire suppression has happened astir that community, and the structural protection," said Chris Marchand, occurrence accusation serviceman with Ontario's Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services.

Fire suppression and plus extortion are underway astatine Sandy Lake, helium said.

"Crews of FireRangers are moving with the Sandy Lake First Nation Fire Department to deploy occurrence protection, including sprinklers and hose lines that are fed by pumps passim the community," helium said. "And FireRanger crews are engaged mounting up a consolidated perimeter enactment connected the westbound broadside of the community."

Marchand said areas successful the bluish portion of the portion haven't seen arsenic overmuch rainfall arsenic the confederate parts of northwestern Ontario.

That's a peculiar interest for Webequie First Nation, which has been evacuated owed to the Nipigon 5 fire, Marchand said.

"That occurrence … continues to spot growth, fortunately distant from the community, but they truly person seen nary rainfall implicit the past fewer days, whereas astir areas wrong the northwest have," helium said. "Crews determination successful Webequie are moving the sides of the occurrence closest to the community, and protecting structures with sprinkler systems."

Meanwhile, rainfall successful the confederate parts of northwestern Ontario has helped with adust conditions, Marchand said.

"Still lingering, however, are the drought conditions successful the ungraded that volition necessitate a batch much rainfall to bring it backmost to a authorities of normalcy. That moisture shortage successful the ground is a concern, arsenic it helps fires to excavation successful heavy and necessitate much clip and resources to extinguish, arsenic good arsenic it makes the scenery precise receptive to lightning fires."

Despite a debased occurrence hazard, a restricted occurrence portion remains successful effect for the southwestern portion of the region, including Thunder Bay.

Smoke signifier the region's fires person led to aerial prime statements and warnings for overmuch of the northwest.

As of Monday, aerial prime warnings were successful effect for the Fort Hope, Pickle Lake, Wunnummin Lake and Webequie areas.

Dryden, Vermilion Bay, Ear Falls, Pikangikum, Red Lake, Sachigo Lake, Sandy Lake, Sioux Lookout and surrounding areas, meanwhile, were nether peculiar aerial prime statements.