As forest fires continue to threaten the first nations in the northwest of Ontario, Pikangikum faces another challenge: an energy cut throughout the community.
A Facebook post for the Pikangikum First Nation Banda councilor, Deedre Peters, published on Sunday, says that the Ojibway remote community has been without power for more than 24 hours.
Meanwhile, a fire known as Red Lake 62 has caused an evacuation of Pikangikum’s most vulnerable. Until Sunday, the forest fire was more than 31,000 large hectares and not under control.
The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources issued a Implementation order For the Lake 62 network area on Saturday, limiting travel and the use of several lakes and roads.
On Thursday, the Provincial Police of Ontario said that more than 2,000 people from Pikangikum had been identified as they required evacuation, starting on Saturday. According to Peters’ Post, more than 240 people were going to fly on Sunday, although “a broader evacuation pause is pending chief instructions.”
Ben Curtis, from the Northwest OPP region, told CBC News on Sunday that evacuation is still in the early stages. Until now, the evacuees have been taken to Thunder Bay and Sioux Lookout, while leadership observes fire conditions to determine if people need to be transferred to Toronto and Mississauga.
CBC News observed the staff of the independent alliance of the first nations (IFNA) who attended members of Pikangikum at Thunder Bay International Airport, but there was no one available to comment.
Between 3,500 and 4,000 people live in Pikangikum, located in Treaty 5 to more than 500 kilometers northwest of Thunder Bay. It is one of the largest remote communities in the region.
The Pikangikum nursing station runs with energy from the generator without air conditioning and cannot support complete operations, Peters said online.
Other critical buildings, such as elderly complexes, face energy shortage and overheating, while food deterioration occurs due to freezer failures.
7:17Pikangikum and North Spirit Lake communities The first nations evacuate the threat of forest fires
Pikangikum and North Spirit Lake evacuations The first nations in northwestern Ontario began on July 11, while out of control fires are burned near the remote communities. Sarah’s law of the CBC spoke with the host of UP North Jonathan Pinto about the latest on the situation.
With food and fuel shortage and “several patients” who expect medical evacuations, Peters said that “general moral is low due to heat, interruptions and uncertainty.”
Power could be restored on Sunday night, he said, while telecommunications repairs are not scheduled to begin until July 21.
According to Curtis, the fire has moved away from Pikangikum due to the favorable wind conditions, allowing crews to build a fire to protect the community. Energy teams are working to restore power, he said.
It is not clear exactly how close the fire for Pikangikum is at this time.
CBC News has communicated with the Ministry of Preparation and Emergency Response of Ontario and is waiting for a statement sent by email.
The smoke, the fog has pros and cons
On Friday, just under 250 people from North Spirit Lake First Nation were transferred to Thunder Bay due to a fire known as Red Lake 40, which measures in more than 11,000 hectares. From there, they were sent to Toronto.
“Firefighters have encountered challenging conditions in recent days, since bad visibility due to the drift of smoke has limited the use of airplanes, as well as continuous drought conditions in the Lake network fire management area that support the active fire behavior in sections of the various fires,” said fire information officer, Alison Bezubiak, A CBC News in an email in an email on Sunday afternoon.
More than 50 forest fires were reported in the region from Sunday afternoon in several control stages. While smoke has made it difficult for fire teams to address the fires, at the same time, “Haze has also led to greater relative humidity and less intense heat in the sun, which has helped reduce fire activity.”
Even so, “with the heavens that begin to clear near the border of Manitoba and the strongest winds in the forecast, an increase in fire behavior is possible,” said Bezubiak.
The danger of forest fire is low to moderate in much of the northwest, except the western edge of the region along the Ontario-Manitoba border, where there have not been so many rains.
“From the city of Fort Frances and covered to the North to the Provincial Park of Opasquia, the danger is mainly high, with an area of extreme danger around the Weeskayjahk Ohtahzhoganeng Provincial Park,” said Bezubiak.
In addition to Red Lake 62 and Red Lake 40, other notable fires include Red Lake 67, west of McDowell Lake First Nation, with more than 32,000 large hectares and Red Lake 72, east of Poplar Hill First Nation, with more than 4,900 hectares.
Red Lake 12, the largest fire in the region, continues to be observed in more than 195,000 hectares, which makes it the largest forest fire in Ontario in terms of burned hectares.
Continue air quality statements
More than a dozen air quality statements remain in force in the northwest of Ontario due to the smoke of forest fires, even for the city of Thunder Bay.
“We had a low pressure system that moved to Hudson’s bay, which will bring Northwest winds over northwest Ontario, so it is a type of channeling that smoke from those forest fires to the area,” said Kristina Kretchman, a meteorologist with the environment and climate change, in an interview with CBC News on Sunday.
The poor air quality is expected to persist on Sunday night and possibly on Monday before improving, he said. Symptoms include eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches or soft cough.
“If you work outdoors, see if you can reduce the effort. Try to reprogram outstanding activities outdoors, look for medical attention if you are experiencing symptoms,” Kretchman said.
“If you are inside, if you can, keep the windows and doors closed as much as possible to prevent smoke from between.”
More information about air quality statements can be found in effect in Environment and climate change on the Canada website. In addition, people can access the province Interactive forest fire map Online for the latest on fires closer to them.
