Wildfire Evacuations Impact Armstrong, Whitesand, and Collins First Nations

Fire bans are currently in place for the Thunder Bay region as wildfires continue to spread.

The bans affect the City of Thunder Bay, Oliver Paipoonge, Neebing, Nolalu, and Dryden due to severe fire risks in the area.

These fires have led to evacuation orders for Armstrong, Whitesand First Nation, and Collins First Nation, forcing residents from these communities to find shelter in Thunder Bay.

Lac Des Mille Lacs First Nation and Cushing Lake have also received evacuation orders. Residents of Ignace, Crystal Lake, and the Highway 633 area have been advised to get ready for a potential evacuation.

“The smoke was really thick,” said Diane Laybourne, secretary of the Armstrong Local Services Board. “We were getting burnt pine needles in our vehicles and just floating around.”

“When you look to the west, the clouds looked really orange and it wasn’t the sun,” she said. “it was like the reflection of the fire.”

WATCH | Wildfires rage on in northwestern Ontario:

Wildfires rage on in northwestern Ontario

Dashcam footage shows an active wildfire just outside Quetico Provincial Park in northwestern Ontario.

Laybourne mentioned there’s also a fire burning north of Armstrong; however, there hasn’t been any damage reported to the community so far.

Ignace CAO Aaron Gullins said they were put on alert for a possible evacuation on Monday night.

“It’s just in preparation for people just to prepare, pack their bags, telling people what they should pack, what they should prepare for,” he said while speaking with on Tuesday. “We actually just got out of a meeting with MNR and.. they advised us that there’ve been some fortunate weather developments.”

Gullins added that winds have shifted and are now blowing from the northwest which is moving the fire away from Ignace.

The fire itself is about 25 kilometers south-southwest from Ignace; its exact size is still unknown.

“They’re estimating it to be about 500 hectares but they want to really get an up-close view of its size and scale,” he explained.

As of Monday night, there were 128 active fires reported in the northwest according to Ontario’s Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services.

Smoke drifting in from fires across the United States is also affecting visibility in this area where many locations remain under orange heat warnings issued by Environment Canada.

The City of Thunder Bay released a statement Tuesday morning confirming that there is “no immediate threat to the City of Thunder Bay” from these wildfires.

“However, wildfire conditions can change quickly so residents are encouraged to stay informed and be prepared.”

Highways closed

The OPP announced that three sections of highways in northwestern Ontario are closed because of forest fires:

Highway 11 between Highway 633 and Highway 623; Highway 599 southbound between Highway 516 and Mishkeegogamang First Nation; and Highway 527 northbound at Gull Bay First Nation.

“Essentially the Ministry of Natural Resources.. takes lead on any incidents like these while we’re a supporting agency. We work closely with them when it comes to assisting evacuations from areas with evacuation orders,”said OPP Sgt. Theresa Wabason.“Sometimes fires can pose dangers near highways regarding visibility or even due to flames themselves. In those cases we close down those highways.”

The OPP also reminded everyone how unpredictable wildfires can be.”This includes asking folks not to head into these areas even if they’re trying to capture video footage or anything else.“We want everyone safe because safety comes first. We all want things done right so that everyone makes it through this safely.”

Shelter needed for pets

Efforts are ongoing aimed at rescuing pets along with livestock threatened by these fires.
The Thunder Bay Community Pasture located within O’Connor Township offers assistance helping livestock owners secure safety for their animals.
“We can accept cattle , horses , sheep , goats , or any kind small livestock,” stated Alexandra Chalifoux vice-chairman at Thunder Bay Community Pasture.“We’ve also connected Murillo facility which can take smaller farm animals such as chickens turkeys etc..”
Chalifoux noted that they successfully evacuated roughly fifteen horses along with twenty heads cattle overnight Monday amidst concerns surrounding wildfires occurring nearby.
More details available via Facebook page associated with Thunder Bay Community Pasture!