More residents being moved out of Pikangikum as crews fight forest fire
Posted Jul 9, 2019 10:10 am.
PIKANGIKUM, Ont. — Authorities say more residents of a remote First Nation in northwestern Ontario will be moved out of the community today as crews battle a forest fire burning nearby.
A full evacuation of Pikangikum First Nation began yesterday, with community members leaving on flights, as well as via boat and bus routes.
A spokeswoman for the Canadian Armed Forces says around 300 people have been airlifted out of the community on military planes so far and two more flights are scheduled for today.
Provincial officials have said evacuees are being taken to communities in northern Ontario that include Hearst, Smooth Rock Falls, and Kapuskasing.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry says the forest fire burning near Pikangikum is about six kilometres southwest of the community, on the opposite side of a lake, and is about 404 square kilometres in size.
Spokeswoman Jolanta Kowalski says firefighters are trying to direct the blaze to natural boundaries like lakes, and have installed sprinklers around the community in an attempt to stop the fire from spreading into the First Nation.
The Canadian Press
