Wildfire near Sandy Lake First Nation a 'sleeping giant' as evacuation flights pause

Sarah Law · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 11, 2025 1:36 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

Spanning 163,000 hectares, the largest wildfire successful northwestern Ontario — Red Lake 12 — is present being called a "sleeping giant."

The occurrence is six kilometres from Sandy Lake First Nation and remains not nether control.

"Because of the cooler weather, you're not seeing thing close now. But determination isn't capable rain," Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) said successful an update provided by Sandy Lake First Nation connected Tuesday.

"It could instrumentality months to enactment retired a occurrence this size."

Canadian Armed Forces members were called successful to assistance efforts connected Sunday. Since then, much than 2,000 radical person been flown retired of the community, the bulk boarded onto Hercules aircraft. 

As of precocious Tuesday afternoon, the First Nation said Phase 1 of its evacuation had been completed.

WATCH | Wildfire evacuees from Sandy Lake First Nation get successful Greater Toronto Area: 

"Flights person been paused," the assemblage said successful an authoritative update. "Chief and assembly volition measure implicit the adjacent fewer days connected further steps. Sandy Lake is NOT nether a Phase 2 afloat evacuation."

Evacuees are being sent from Thunder Bay to 1 of 3 big communities: Kapuskasing, Cornwall oregon Mississauga.

Red Lake 12 "has destroyed astatine slightest 7 cabins astatine antithetic camps and a erstwhile sportfishing lodge owned and operated by Sandy Lake arsenic a healing and land-based campy for youth," the First Nation posted connected Facebook connected Tuesday night.

Fewer than 200 radical stay successful Sandy Lake, where they are taking attraction of people's pets arsenic good arsenic the community's captious infrastructure and services, set councillor Cynthia Fiddler told CBC's Superior Morning.

Fiddler oversees the community's wellness portfolio and has been engaged co-ordinating with people hosting evacuees to guarantee everyone has entree to prescriptions and different aesculapian assistance, she said.

"I'm needed here," Fiddler said. "With each our radical retired there, there's inactive tons of calls coming back."

Elsewhere successful the region, evacuations are continuing for different First Nations:

• Deer Lake First Nation evacuees are staying successful Toronto owed to Red Lake 12.
• Webequie First Nation evacuees are successful Barrie owed to the Nipigon 5 wildfire.
• North Spirit Lake First Nation and Keewaywin First Nations person called for assemblage evacuations; CBC News is awaiting much accusation astir wherever assemblage members volition beryllium sent.
• Members of Wabaseemoong Independent Nations were staying successful Niagara Falls from mid-May to aboriginal June owed to wildfire Kenora 20, but were cleared to instrumentality location connected Friday.

'Sandy Lake is truthful bully successful a crisis'

Sandy Lake is simply a distant Oji-Cree assemblage successful Treaty 5 territory, astir 600 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay.

In Tuesday night's update, the First Nation provided clarity astir a situation wherever operation workers were trapped astatine the Valard Camp and hid in a shipping instrumentality to evade the flames.

WATCH | Construction workers trapped by wildfire instrumentality structure in shipping instrumentality

"Workers were preparing to support the campy by clearing trees, but the occurrence conscionable came excessively quick. Helicopters tried but couldn't scope them due to the fact that of heavy smoke," the First Nation said.

"Sandy Lake enactment kept successful contact. Deputy Chief Marcel Linklater and Coun. Russel Kakepetum drove to the campy and guided them backmost to the community. The crews were 1 of the archetypal to beryllium airlifted retired of Sandy Lake to information connected a backstage charter. Sandy Lake is precise thankful they are harmless and backmost with their families."

At the evacuation hub astatine Thunder Bay's airport, the First Nation's set rep squad has been co-ordinating flights and distributing indispensable supplies. Despite the uncertainty of erstwhile evacuees volition instrumentality home, Fiddler said the assemblage has ever been resilient, nary substance the circumstances.

"Sandy Lake is truthful bully successful a crisis," she said. "When thing happens successful our community, radical are truthful consenting to travel unneurotic and enactment for Sandy Lake. They marque definite everybody is taken attraction of.

"It has gotten a small chaotic, but we travel unneurotic fast, and I'm conscionable truthful grateful to beryllium from Sandy Lake for that."

With cooler upwind masking the presumption of the flames implicit the past mates days, Fiddler said "it conscionable feels similar a mean day." However, temperatures are expected to emergence connected Friday.

Sprinkler systems person been acceptable up successful the assemblage to support homes closest to the fire. 

"FireRanger crews are making fantabulous advancement mounting up a consolidated perimeter enactment connected the westbound broadside of the assemblage of Sandy Lake and volition beryllium assisted by dense machinery to make a occurrence break," Ontario Forest Fires said successful its latest update Tuesday night.

"Aerial suppression continues, with helicopters and buckets supporting FireRanger crews connected the crushed digging successful to found hoseline, pump and sprinkler perimeters."

Air prime statements lifted — for now

A peculiar aerial prime connection archetypal issued for Sandy Lake connected May 27 was lifted arsenic of Wednesday. Statements person besides been lifted for the Fort Hope, Webequie, Weagamow Lake, Deer Lake and Pikangikum areas.

They had been jointly issued by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, arsenic good as Environment and Climate Change Canada. 

Despite caller rainfall, overmuch of northwestern Ontario remains nether a restricted occurrence zone, which means nary open-air burning is allowed.

Dr. Peter Lin, a household doc and a aesculapian columnist for CBC, explained however wildfires make a batch of chemicals and tiny particles that impact people's eyes, skin and lining of their breathing tubes.

"These [particles] are precise tiny, truthful they tin get heavy into your lungs," Lin said. 

While successful the abbreviated term people whitethorn acquisition eye, chemoreceptor and pharynx irritation, headaches oregon a mild cough owed to wildfire smoke, semipermanent vulnerability tin besides summation people's hazard of lung cancer, helium said.

"Check the aerial prime index. It's easy, right? 10 is bad, 1 is good. It's each colour-coded," Lin said. "If it's a atrocious day, past debar going out. If you person to spell out, past usage an N95 disguise to chopped down connected the particles that you're breathing in."

He besides urges radical to support their doors and windows closed during smoky days, and deterioration sunglasses and long-sleeved shirts to support their skin.

"If you tin spend a HEPA filter, that could cleanable up immoderate of the aerial wrong your location arsenic well," helium said.

People tin entree Ontario's interactive wildfire representation online for much details astir the fires closest to them.