WEBEQUIE — A state of emergency has been declared and evacuation began Friday in this remote community in response to a major forest fire.
Meanwhile, evacuation continued at Deer Lake First Nation, where a large fire burned near the community’s airport.
Webequie First Nation’s chief and council said in a public notice posted on social media that they’ve declared a state of emergency “in the interest of protecting public health and safety.”
The Nipigon 5 wildfire burning near the community is subject to unpredictable wind patterns and “there is an increasing risk of dangerous smoke exposure and possible encroachment of the fire zone,” the notice stated.
Key actions under the emergency declaration include initiation of phase 1 evacuation of elders, children, the chronically ill and other especially vulnerable persons, the notice said.
There was “a lot of commotion” in Webequie on Wednesday when the fire escalated, Chief Cornelius Wabasse told Newswatch.
“You could see the flames from here, from the community just across the lake and into the night,” but it wasn’t getting closer, he said.
Wabasse said air quality, though “bearable,” was noticeably affected by smoke from the fire.
Joseph D’Angelo, press secretary for Emergency Preparedness Minister Jill Dunlop, said Webequie evacuees “will be hosted in communities across the province where they will receive wraparound support services.”
The Nipigon 5 fire grew to an estimated 7,000 hectares as of Friday afternoon and the Ministry of Natural Resources classifies it as “not under control.”
Full evacuation has been ordered in Deer Lake, where a forest fire just north of the community was pegged at 7,100 hectares on Thursday, 9,600 hectares on Friday.
Ten fire crews and three helicopters have been assigned to that blaze and an incident management crew is on its way Ministry of Natural Resources fire information officer Isabelle Chenard said Friday.
“There is no anticipation of spread toward the community of Deer Lake for the next few days based on the current forecast,” said Chenard.
Deer Lake evacuees will be hosted in the Toronto region and “receive full wraparound support services” while there, said a spokesperson for Ontario’s Ministry of Emergency Preparedness and Response.
Another blaze labelled Kenora 20, northwest of the city of Kenora, prompted the evacuation of Wabaseemoong Independent Nations more than two weeks ago. It exceeds 34,000 hectares and is considered by the MNR to be not under control.
Kenora 14, north of Wabaseemoong, is “being held at 1,607 hectares in size,” according to the MNR’s forest fire updates.
The MNR added a new forest fire, Kenora 32, on Thursday. An extension of Manitoba’s 124,000-hectare EA061 fire, Kenora 32 occupied an estimated 683 hectares in Ontario near Snowshoe Lake as of Thursday evening.
