Thursday, March 28, 2024
ADVT 
National

Forest Fire Threatening Pikangikum Grows In Size, Airlifts Continue

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 11 Jul, 2019 08:10 PM

    A forest fire threatening a First Nation in northwestern Ontario has grown in size, officials said Thursday as more flights were planned to airlift residents out of the community.

     

    Members of Pikangikum First Nation have been leaving their homes since a full evacuation was ordered on Monday, although departures via buses and boats were put on hold Wednesday because of a lack of places to send evacuees. Saskatchewan has since said it would take in up to 2,000 displaced residents.

     

    The Ministry of Natural Resources said the fire — dubbed Red Lake Fire 39 — has now grown to more than 507 square kilometres in size, which is larger than Quebec City.

     

    The blaze was burning six kilometres southwest of Pikangikum, on the opposite side of a lake. Crews were setting up hose lines on the east and northwest sides of the fire, and sprinklers have been installed southwest of the community, the ministry said.

     

    Spokeswoman Jolanta Kowalski said there are 84 firefighters now working on the fire, but that number was expected to rise. "With large fires like Red Lake 39, even a small amount of growth along the perimeter will have a significant impact on size," she said.

     

    The Canadian Armed Forces said that as of Thursday morning, around 1,350 of Pikangikum's 3,800 residents had been airlifted out of the community, with more flights scheduled for later in the day.

     

    Evacuations by land and water routes remained on hold, said Mathew Hoppe, commander of Pikangikum's emergency operations centre in Thunder Bay, Ont., explaining that there were still "logistical issues" to sort out.

     

    "There's still challenges as far as I know, about host community access when we put people on buses," he said. "We want to minimize having people sit on buses for 10 or 12 hours."

     

    Alvin Fiddler, Grand Chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation – which represents 49 First Nations across Northern Ontario – said Saskatchewan's offer to host evacuees was nonetheless a "relief."

     

    "There's been so much pressure on the leadership of Pikangikum, on some of the front-liner works who have been at this for many days now, to be able to tell the evacuees where they're going to be going," Fiddler said Thursday.

     

    "It alleviates a lot of the pressure that centres in the northwest part of the province have been feeling with the request to accommodate more evacuees."

     

    Meanwhile, Red Lake Fire 23, a forest fire raging eight kilometres south of the community of Keewaywin, has grown to 926 square kilometres — nearly twice the size of the fire threatening Pikangikum.

     

    Keewaywin First Nation completed a full evacuation of its roughly 450 residents last week who were relocated to Sioux Lookout and Timmins.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Many B.C. Liquor Branch Contracts Don't Comply With Government Standards: Audit

    Many B.C. Liquor Branch Contracts Don't Comply With Government Standards: Audit
    The auditor general says too many contracts awarded by British Columbia's liquor distribution branch aren't in compliance with the province's procurement policies and are awarded without competition.

    Many B.C. Liquor Branch Contracts Don't Comply With Government Standards: Audit

    Legal Pot Price As Much As 80 Per Cent More Than Illicit: StatCan

    The government agency said Wednesday that the average price of an illegal gram of pot was $5.93 in the second quarter, down from $6.23 in the previous quarter and $6.51 in the prior quarter.

    Legal Pot Price As Much As 80 Per Cent More Than Illicit: StatCan

    Canadian Astronaut David Saint-jacques Enjoying 'Renewed Love For Life On Earth'

    LONGUEUIL, Que. - Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques says returning to normal life after his six-month stint aboard the International Space Station feels anything but mundane.    

    Canadian Astronaut David Saint-jacques Enjoying 'Renewed Love For Life On Earth'

    Federal Liberals, Ontario Tories Point Fingers Over Looming Bombardier Layoffs

    The federal Liberals and Ontario Tories are blaming each other for the impending loss of 550 jobs at Bombardier's railway car plant in Thunder Bay, Ont.

    Federal Liberals, Ontario Tories Point Fingers Over Looming Bombardier Layoffs

    Tories Accuse Liberals Of Ruining Military Officers' Careers

    Lt.-Gen. Paul Wynnyk tendered his resignation as the vice-chief of the defence staff on Tuesday, which he linked to an aborted attempt to reinstate Vice-Admiral Mark Norman into the position.

    Tories Accuse Liberals Of Ruining Military Officers' Careers

    Amal Clooney Calls Out Trump Media Vilification At Press Freedom Gathering

    Human-rights lawyer Amal Clooney says U.S. President Donald Trump's vilification of the media makes journalists more vulnerable to abuse around the world.

    Amal Clooney Calls Out Trump Media Vilification At Press Freedom Gathering