Wildfires in Fort Frances and Sioux Lookout Ont., districts force evacuation alert, travel restrictions

Olivia Levesque · CBC News

· Posted: May 15, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Evacuation and question alerts person been issued successful the Fort Frances and Sioux Lookout districts successful northwestern Ontario as wildfires proceed to turn successful some areas.

As of Thursday morning, 10 wood fires are burning successful the northwest region, fractional of them are not nether control.

In the Sioux Lookout district, Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) issued an implementation bid Thursday afternoon.

The bid aims to support the public, portion besides allowing crews to transportation retired suppression efforts. 

It includes the country astir the fire known arsenic Sioux Lookout 3, which was archetypal reported connected Tuesday afternoon. The fire is burning northbound of Savant Lake, Ont., covering implicit 2000 hectares of land.

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has closed Highway 599 , and question is restricted connected Highway 516 eastbound of Houghton Lake.

Fort Frances territory wildfire forces evacuation alert

Further south, a wildfire called Fort Frances 4 by the MNR, is covering implicit 3,200 hectares of land. The MNR issued an evacuation alert Wednesday afternoon, which encourages radical to hole to evacuate connected abbreviated notice. 

Fort Frances 4 is burning conscionable northbound of Crystal Lake, and is not nether control.

The alert has been issued for each areas accessed by Camp 111 Road, Crooked Pine Road and each roads accessing Crystal Lake.

The MNR alert besides covers the pursuing areas:

• Nydia Lake
• Eva Lake
• Kawene Lake
• Marion Lake and Marion Lake Road 
• Crystal lake 
• Niobe Lake
• Nickleby Lake Road and Nickleby Lake
• Sapawe Lake and Sapawe Road 
• Upsala Road
• Premier Lake Road
• Marmion Lake, Reserve Island, Hoist Camp Narrows, and  Reserve Bay
• Osinawi Lake
• Pipeline Road
• Sawbill Road
• Cloven Road
• Pinecone Road
• Caldwell Road and Hardtack Road.

People successful these areas are urged to enactment up to day connected the occurrence situation, and to hole an exigency container with indispensable items similar medicine, passports and ineligible documents.

As of Wednesday evening, 8 crews were moving connected the Fort Frances territory fire, and chopper bucketing operations were ongoing done the day, according to the MNR's Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services.

The restrictions and evacuation bid successful spot successful the Fort Frances and Sioux Lookout districts travel akin measures successful the Kenora territory issued earlier this week.

The wood occurrence concern began to escalate successful northwestern Ontario past week, arsenic overmuch of the portion experiences adust and blistery conditions.

The upwind forecast has astir 15 to 20 mm of rainfall expected crossed parts of the portion implicit the adjacent 2 days. A occurrence authoritative said if the rainfall materializes, it volition assistance mean the utmost occurrence behaviour successful the region.