Smoke from nearby forest fires is forcing 250 Sandy Lake First Nation residents to evacuate to Thunder Bay this afternoon.
The community has 650 residents in need of evacuation; the first group was sent to Sioux Lookout Monday morning. The evacuees arriving in Thunder Bay will stay at the Victoria Inn until it is safe to return to Sandy Lake.
“There are a lot of communities in crisis up north right now,” said Mayor Keith Hobbs. “There are a few communities that have declared an emergency. It’s pretty dire straits up north right now.”
In Northwestern Ontario, there are 1,000 people that need to be evacuated Monday and up to 5,000 people could be evacuated by the end of the week, said Dennis Brascacin, community emergency management coordinator for the City of Thunder Bay.
“Emergency Management Ontario is coordinating the airlift with the MNR as we speak,” he said Monday afternoon in a phone interview. “I just got off the phone with them now and we are definitely getting a plane today, maybe more.”
The first plane is expected to arrive in the city at 6 p.m. Monday.
The city is ready for the evacuees’ arrival, he added, noting once they arrive, the city registers them, attends to any medical needs and then ensures they have food and lodging until it is safe to return to their home communities.
The city has committed to taking 250 evacuees and Brascacin said depending on how much worse the fire situation gets up north, they city may look at taking more.
“Thunder Bay might have to come to the party for more residents yet,” Hobbs said, adding it’s a no-brainer to help out the evacuees.
“This could be us. Thunder Bay is surrounded by bush,” he said. “One day we could face the same thing. It’s the right thing to do.”
The City of Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay Police Service, Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue, the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, Superior North EMS and the Canadian Red Cross are co-ordinating efforts to make required arrangements for the evacuees.
The community has 650 residents in need of evacuation; the first group was sent to Sioux Lookout Monday morning. The evacuees arriving in Thunder Bay will stay at the Victoria Inn until it is safe to return to Sandy Lake.
“There are a lot of communities in crisis up north right now,” said Mayor Keith Hobbs. “There are a few communities that have declared an emergency. It’s pretty dire straits up north right now.”
In Northwestern Ontario, there are 1,000 people that need to be evacuated Monday and up to 5,000 people could be evacuated by the end of the week, said Dennis Brascacin, community emergency management coordinator for the City of Thunder Bay.
“Emergency Management Ontario is coordinating the airlift with the MNR as we speak,” he said Monday afternoon in a phone interview. “I just got off the phone with them now and we are definitely getting a plane today, maybe more.”
The first plane is expected to arrive in the city at 6 p.m. Monday.
The city is ready for the evacuees’ arrival, he added, noting once they arrive, the city registers them, attends to any medical needs and then ensures they have food and lodging until it is safe to return to their home communities.
The city has committed to taking 250 evacuees and Brascacin said depending on how much worse the fire situation gets up north, they city may look at taking more.
“Thunder Bay might have to come to the party for more residents yet,” Hobbs said, adding it’s a no-brainer to help out the evacuees.
“This could be us. Thunder Bay is surrounded by bush,” he said. “One day we could face the same thing. It’s the right thing to do.”
The City of Thunder Bay, Thunder Bay Police Service, Thunder Bay Fire and Rescue, the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, Superior North EMS and the Canadian Red Cross are co-ordinating efforts to make required arrangements for the evacuees.
