As 2 dozen wildfires burn across northwestern Ontario, 4 First Nations still under evacuation

While burn bans have been lifted across much of northwestern Ontario, provincial authorities warn people to remain cautious while crews contend with two dozen fires in the region. Meanwhile the First Nations communities of Deer Lake, Webequie, Sandy Lake and Keewaywin remain under evacuation orders. 

As of Friday, all evacuation and restricted access orders had been removed from the Kenora district, with implementation orders also lifted in areas near two wildfires known as Kenora 20 and Kenora 32.

"Wildland fire suppression activities are ongoing on Kenora 20 and Kenora 32 but public safety relating to these fires is no longer a concern," Ontario Forest Fires said in its latest update Saturday night.

"Lifting the RFZ [restricted fire zone] does not mean we can let our guard down when it comes to preventing human-caused fires. We all need to remain vigilant and keep safety top of mind when having outdoor fires."

The region's largest wildfire — Red Lake 12 — saw more activity on Saturday due to clear skies and north/northwest winds.

The fire, recently described as a 'sleeping giant,' is more 175,000 hectares large, and triggered the evacuation of hundreds of people from Deer Lake First Nation and more than 2,000 people from Sandy Lake First Nation.

"At Sandy Lake, Fire[R]anger crews have nearly completed structural protection objectives and are continuing to establish a fire break around the west side of the community aided by heavy equipment," Ontario Forest Fires said in Saturday's update.

On Thursday night, the chief of North Spirit Lake First Nation posted on Facebook that evacuation efforts in his community have been paused. The community declared a state of emergency on June 8 after its communication infrastructure was compromised due to Red Lake 12, the First Nation says.

"We still have a state of emergency in effect for another 30 days or so," chief Brandon Rae wrote in the North Spirit Lake 238 Facebook group. "We're still not out of the woods yet. But now we are prepared and have everything ready to execute an [evacuation] in a moment's notice."

Members of Keewaywin First Nation have also been evacuated, according to tribal council Keewaytinook Okimakanak. CBC News is seeking confirmation of how many evacuees there are and where they have been sent.

Meanwhile, hundreds of evacuees from Webequie First Nation remain in southern Ontario due to Nipigon 5, which is more than 10,800 hectares large.

"Minimal fire behaviour has been observed and there has been no change to the fire perimeter in several days. FireRanger crews are focusing efforts on extinguishing hotspots on the northeast and southeast arms of the fire," the province says.

Newer fire of concern east of Cat Lake

Alison Bezubiak, a fire information officer with Ontario's Aviation, Forest Fires and Emergency Services (AFFES) in the northwest region, told CBC News on Sunday that officials are paying close attention to a fire confirmed on June 7 called Sioux Lookout 18, which is more than 20,000 hectares large and located east of Cat Lake First Nation.

"It has put on significant growth this weekend under the sunny skies and warmer temperatures, so FireRanger crews are focusing on values protection with sprinklers and establishing hose lines on the southwest side of the fire nearest to the community of Cat Lake First Nation," Bezubiak said.

"Aerial suppression efforts have been steady for the past few days and will continue today with ongoing support from bucketing helicopters and CL-415 water bombers."

As the incident commander remains in close contact with community leadership, she said, large swaths of smoke have become an increasing concern, and have made it difficult to pinpoint the fire's precise location and proximity to Cat Lake.

A number of special air quality statements, jointly issued by Ontario's Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks and Environment and Climate Change Canada, remain in effect due to wildfire smoke, affecting:

• Big Trout Lake.
• Cat Lake.
• Kasabonika.
• Macdowell.
• Pickle Lake.
• Pikangikum.
• Poplar Hill.
• Sachigo Lake.
• Sandy Lake.
• Wunnummin Lake.

More severe air quality warnings are affecting areas around:

• Bearskin Lake.
• Big Trout Lake.
• Deer Lake.
• Kingfisher Lake.
• Pickle Lake.
• Pikangikum.
• Sachigo Lake.
• Sandy Lake.
• Summer Beaver.
• Weagamow Lake.
• Wunnummin Lake.

The wildland fire hazard is mainly high across the southern portion of northwestern Ontario, and high to extreme across the northern half, the province says.

People can view the province's interactive forest fire map online for the latest information on the fires burning closest to them. They can also report wildfires they observe to 310-FIRE.