Canadian military to assist in Sandy Lake First Nation wildfire evacuations, says Carney
Armed Forces aircraft and personnel have been deployed to northwestern Ontario community
Canadian Armed Forces troops will help evacuate Sandy Lake First Nation, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Sunday morning, as a wildfire moves toward the northwestern Ontario community.
Sandy Lake officials issued an evacuation order Saturday, after the fire, known as Red Lake 12, was spotted moving northward toward the community in the province's Kenora district.
The First Nation is a fly-in community located about 600 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay.
On Saturday, 19 construction workers were trapped by the fire for several hours while helicopters attempted to rescue them but could not land because of the thick smoke. The group huddled in a shipping container until it began to catch fire and eventually escaped to the First Nation in a vehicle convoy.
"It just engulfed on them real fast," Sandy Lake First Nation Chief Delores Kakegamic told CBC on Sunday, adding that the construction crew had been trying to help out by creating barriers to stop the fire from spreading.
The work yard the crew was in is a large open space, which may have given them more time to escape, the chief said.
"Some of them are pretty traumatized."
3,000 people still waiting to be flown out
Kakegamic said Canadian Armed Forces aircraft have so far taken out 500 Sandy Lake residents, but that there remain roughly 1,000 more "priority" residents — people with health issues and young children, for example — who are waiting to be picked up.
Two thousand more people will have to wait after them, the chief added, noting the community has boats ready if needed.
Two CC-130H Hercules planes belonging to the military came and went overnight and De Havilland Canada Dash 8 planes are also being deployed, but cannot fly at capacity because of the community's short runway.
Carney said Ontario had made a request for federal assistance "in response to rapidly spreading wildfires" in that part of the province.
The prime minister wrote on X that CAF aircraft and personnel have been deployed to support in the emergency evacuations.
"To everyone who's been impacted by these fires: we're here for you. We're prepared to mobilize every resource needed to keep Canadians safe," Carney wrote.
Air quality warnings
Ontario Forest Fires says in a Facebook post that community officials are asking residents to gather at the southeast corner of Sandy Lake, where fire management staff are mobilizing boats.
Red Lake 12 has grown to a size of more than 66,000 hectares in the region, and it is not yet under control.
Smoke from the fire has pervaded many parts of the province, leading to air quality statements and warnings.
The latest information about wildfire activity in Ontario can be found on the province's interactive fire map.