Evacuation order remains in effect as Kenora 20 still 'significant fire of concern' for northwestern Ontario

Desmond Brown · CBC News

· Posted: May 14, 2025 5:41 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

An evacuation bid issued Tuesday day remains successful effect for residents and cottagers successful parts of northwestern Ontario owed to the continuing menace of wildfires successful the area.

Chris Marchand, a occurrence accusation serviceman successful the northwest portion for the Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services Branch, said Kenora 20 "remains a important occurrence of concern" successful the northwest region.

The fire, which originated successful Ingolf connected Monday afternoon, has since travelled astir 43 kilometres to the northbound and has present approached to wrong 2.5 kilometres of the assemblage of Wabaseemoong, Marchand told CBC News Wednesday afternoon.

"The assemblage underwent an evacuation yesterday and astatine the infinitesimal there's conscionable a fewer cardinal unit and firefighting unit remaining successful the town," Marchand said. 

"Today we're seeing CL-415 waterbombers providing aerial onslaught connected the parts of the occurrence that are closest to the community, and crews connected the crushed are mounting up sprinkler systems connected the town's captious infrastructure and different precedence structures."

Marchand said Ingolf is simply a cottage subdivision that is successful Ontario but is usually accessed via Highway 321 from Manitoba.

On Tuesday the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry [MNRF] established an evacuation bid and question entree restrictions to areas adjacent the Kenora 20 and Kenora 14 fires to guarantee nationalist information and effectual firefighting. 

Also connected Tuesday, the enactment of Wabaseemoong Independent Nation issued an evacuation announcement urging radical to leave.

"Kenora Fire 14 is astir 1,379 hectares and burning astir 12 kilometres northbound of Wabaseemoong," the announcement reads. "Kenora Fire 20 is present implicit 8,000 hectares, expanding rapidly and causing important fume and occurrence hazard to Wabaseemoong and its members."

The announcement from Wabaseemoong main and assembly said they privation to guarantee the assemblage that people's information and wellness is their apical priority.

"Leadership is moving diligently with aggregate levels of government, MNRF, arsenic good arsenic assemblage partners to found each levels of enactment we tin for members," the announcement continues.

'Extreme occurrence behaviour and truly accelerated rates of spread'

Meanwhile, Marchand said "extreme occurrence behaviour and truly accelerated rates of dispersed person seen this occurrence turn to astir 23,281 hectares since Monday day and it remains not nether control."

He said officials inactive bash not cognize what caused the fire, but FireRanger crews and bucketing helicopters are presently moving successful the Ingolf country wherever it originated, maintaining sprinkler systems connected the section structures and looking to wherever they tin found hose lines successful that area.

Marchand said portion helium tin corroborate that determination person been structures mislaid successful the fire, circumstantial accusation astir those losses were not instantly available.

Looking ahead, Marchand said determination is the imaginable of immoderate meaningful rainfall successful the occurrence area, astir 15 to 20 mm from Thursday into Friday, "which we're hoping volition materialize," adding that "a rainfall lawsuit similar that would assistance to mean the utmost occurrence behaviour we're observing and and bargain america a small spot of clip to get FireRanger crews established connected immoderate of these fires."

New fires

The MNRF said six caller fires were confirmed successful the Northwest Region arsenic of the evening of May 13: 

• Kenora 21 (KEN021) is located connected Indian Island successful Lake Lulu, astir 15.0 kilometres westbound of Kenora. The 1.0-hectare occurrence is nether control.

• Sioux Lookout 3 (SLK003) is located on Highway 599 betwixt Savant Lake and the Ojibway Nation of Saugeen. The Ontario Provincial Police person closed Highway 599 to let crews to work. The occurrence is presently measuring 2000 hectares successful size and is not nether control. Crews are focused connected the extortion of quality beingness and values. The occurrence received aerial suppression enactment from CL415 waterbombers passim the day.

• Sioux Lookout 4 (SLK004) is located northbound of Mullen Lake, astir 11.0 kilometres eastbound of Sioux Lookout. The 0.1-hectare occurrence is presently being observed.

• Nipigon 2 (NIO002) is located astir 0.4 Kilometres southbound of Highway 11 adjacent Wildgoose Lake. The 1.5 hectare occurrence is not nether control.

• Kenora 22 (KEN022) is located adjacent the northbound extremity of Dogpaw Lake. Approximately 9.3 kilometres eastbound ohio Highway 71. The 0.1-hectare occurrence is not nether control.

• Kenora 23 (KEN023) is located adjacent Big Island astir 5.6 kilometres northwest of the assemblage of Grassy Narrows First Nation. The 0.5-hectare occurrence is not nether control.