First planes carrying wildfire evacuees from northwestern Ontario head to Toronto area

Sarah Law · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 11, 2025 9:48 PM EDT | Last Updated: July 12

Phillip Campbell has been intimately watching the skies to spot which mode the upwind blows — and whether it volition support adjacent wildfires astatine bay.

The elder and head councillor of North Spirit Lake First Nation successful northwestern Ontario is among astir 240 evacuees travelling southbound to flight Red Lake 40, a occurrence that's much than 11,000 hectares large.

The archetypal planes retired of the distant Oji-Cree assemblage landed successful Thunder Bay Friday afternoon. From there, evacuees — consisting of immoderate of the community's astir susceptible — volition beryllium flown to Toronto.

Fewer than 500 radical unrecorded successful North Spirit Lake, located successful Treaty 5 territory.  

As a rider aboard the archetypal plane, Campbell said he's disquieted astir those near waiting for the adjacent disposable aircraft.

"If it's windy from there, the occurrence volition spell to North Spirit truly accelerated and that's dangerous," Campbell said. "I don't cognize what's going to hap to them if it really comes down to the wire."

South of North Spirit Lake, 1 of the region's largest distant First Nations — Pikangikum — is preparing for its evacuation starting Saturday. About 2,000 evacuees from the Ojibway assemblage successful Treaty 5 person been identified, and are being sent to Toronto and Mississauga due to the fact that of Red Lake 62, an out-of-control blaze that's much than 26,000 hectares large.

Ben Curtis, inspector of operational enactment for the Ontario Provincial Police successful the northwest region, spent Friday fielding calls from Pikangikum.

"They are compiling lists successful collaboration with our provincial liaison squad that's connected the ground, and that's truly to absorption connected the Level 1 and Level 2 evacuations," Curtis said. 

"[They're] focusing connected a small spot much of the susceptible colonisation that are successful Pikangikum — those that are a small little mobile, those that person immoderate benignant of accrued needs specified arsenic aesculapian concerns and things similar that."

A overmuch smaller community, MacDowell Lake, has besides issued an evacuation alert and is urging members to leave. Fewer than 100 radical unrecorded there.

There are astir 50 wildfires burning crossed the portion astatine assorted stages of control. The largest, Red Lake 12, has reached much than 195,000 hectares, mounting a grounds for astir hectares burned successful Ontario.

"Ongoing drought conditions, debased comparative humidity, and a deficiency of precipitation done the bluish occurrence absorption sectors person contributed to utmost occurrence behaviour and continued maturation connected progressive fires," occurrence accusation serviceman Alison Bezubiak told CBC News successful an email Friday. 

"More precipitation is expected done the weekend, but we volition person a amended thought of however that rainfall volition interaction the wildland occurrence hazard and occurrence behaviour erstwhile it materializes."

'Everybody has to go'

The bureau of Jill Dunlop, Ontario's curate of exigency preparedness and response, provided an emailed connection to CBC News connected Friday astir the government's enactment for evacuees.

"Our authorities is moving intimately with section communities, First Nations leadership, and exigency partners to co-ordinate harmless evacuations successful North Spirit Lake First Nation and [assist] with the relocation of susceptible residents from Pikangikum," it says.

"We stay successful adjacent interaction with our provincial and national partners to marque definite radical person the care, transportation, and enactment they need."

Still, those successful transit are feeling the value of uncertainty astatine hand. 

"It's hard erstwhile you question from home," said Homer Meekis, a set councillor for North Spirit Lake, who arrived successful Thunder Bay connected Friday with his children and grandchildren.

"Staying successful a edifice with household members, it is going to beryllium truly crowded and stuff, and radical are utilized to their ain places."

North Spirit Lake prepared for a assemblage evacuation astir a period ago, but astatine that time, the occurrence enactment eased capable to let radical to stay, explained evacuee Edna Rae-Harper, who is Chief Brandon Rae's aunt.

"I conscionable wanted to enactment home, but cipher tin enactment location due to the fact that everybody has to go," she said.

She was told astatine slightest six planes were expected to bring radical to Thunder Bay Friday and Saturday.

Meanwhile, Sandy Lake First Nation — which began to bring its 2,000 wildfire evacuees location past Friday — has had to intermission a fig of flights owed to demands for craft successful different fire-affected communities.

Though 5 backstage flights retired of Thunder Bay person been arranged by the Oji-Cree assemblage for the weekend, arsenic good arsenic a tiny level successful Kapuskasing, each evacuee flights from Barrie and Peterborough person been enactment connected hold, the First Nation said successful an update connected Facebook Friday.

Ontario FireRangers 'among the champion successful the world'

Air prime warnings and peculiar aerial prime statements stay successful effect successful overmuch of northwestern Ontario as the occurrence hazard ranges crossed the region.  

"Following wide rainfall overnight and this morning, the wildland occurrence hazard is debased to mean crossed the bulk of the northwest portion but for the Red Lake and Nipigon occurrence absorption sectors," said Bezubiak.

"A precocious hazard remains done the cardinal and eastbound portions of the Nipigon sector. In Red Lake, the hazard is precocious done the cardinal and occidental portions of the sector, with an country of utmost hazard astir Poplar Hill."

Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources says it's each hands connected platform to support communities safe.

"Wildland occurrence absorption unit are moving astir the timepiece to support these communities done aerial suppression, crushed operations, and structural extortion efforts," said Mary Votsis, a spokesperson for the department, successful an emailed connection Friday. 

"Our highly trained FireRangers, supported by a fleet of specialized craft and precocious technology, are among the champion successful the world."