KEEWAYWIN FIRST NATION, Ont. -- Keewaywin First Nation will be completely evacuated, as a massive wildfire continues to burn a dozen kilometres away from the remote Northwestern Ontario community.
Ministry of the Solicitor General spokesperson Brent Ross on Thursday confirmed a complete evacuation has been requested, with heavy smoke from the nearby forest fires impacting the community.
"We are currently in the process of performing a full evacuation of the community, weather and fire conditions permitting," Ross said in a written statement.
The fire, known as Red Lake 23, is 12 kilometres southwest of Keewaywin at a size of 54,000 hectares, fueled by what are described as extreme burning conditions. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has established an incident management team in the area, and are bringing in crews and resources to tackle the blaze. The fire is considered to not be under control.
Timmins announced the city is preparing to accommodate 250 people from Keewaywin, with five flights expected to land on Thursday and subsequent flights on Friday.
Sioux Lookout is hosting 227 evacuees, who arrived on a series of flights earlier this week. Those people, who are being hosted in a local hotel, are considered vulnerable evacuees, including elderly, young children, expecting mothers and people with chronic medical conditions.
Sioux Lookout declared a state of emergency on Wednesday to ensure resources are available to assist the evacuees, and costs incurred by the municipality are covered by senior levels of government.
