More People Evacuated Due to Raging Forest Fires in Northwestern Ontario
Posted on: Friday, 15 September 2006, 18:00 CDT
DRYDEN, Ont. (CP) - Raging forest fires are forcing more people to leave their remote northwestern Ontario communities.
Another 83 people from two aboriginal communities - Longlac First Nation and Aroland First Nation - were forced from home today because of smoke from 290 burning fires.
More than 1,000 people have already been moved to community centres and hotels near Thunder Bay, Ont., because of the unseasonably late fires.
Debbie MacLean, with the Ministry of Natural Resources in Dryden, Ont., says hot, dry and windy weather have been fuelling the fires - many of which were started by lightning.
Ministry officials have been scrambling for weeks to contain the fires which caught firefighters off-guard because the lateness in the season.
Still, MacLean says the number of new fires being reported daily has dropped from between 60 and 100 to 28.
"The number of fires that we're picking up daily has dropped dramatically compared to what we were getting the previous days," MacLean said.
"We're down to 28 but believe it or not, those numbers are low."
While MacLean said some of the communities may be threatened by flames, billowing smoke from the fires is the more immediate health risk.
Many residents of Pays Plat First Nations, Sandy Lake, Deer Lake, Keewaywin, Gull Lake and North Spirit Lake have already left.
Most are women, children and those with respiratory problems.
The town of Cochrane, Ont., has activated its emergency plan to cope with an influx of evacuees.
Early today, a bus full from the Greenstone area arrived.
In all, Cochrane is now housing 178 Aroland First Nation people in various motels.
It's unknown how long it will be before the fires are brought under control and the people can return.
Source: Canadian Press
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