Nearby fire forces evacuation of Deer Lake

Deer Lake residents most at risk are being evacuated due to a fire about three kilometres away from the remote fly-in northwestern Ontario community.
“We’re collaborating very closely with our First Nations and federal partners to ensure the safety of Deer Lake residents,” said Jim Bradley, minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. “This evacuation will help take the most vulnerable members of the community out of harms way.”
At the request of the Deer Lake band council, the province is coordinating with federal and military officials to evacuate about 480 residents whose health is most at risk due to the smoke.
Two Canadian Forces CC-130 Hercules aircraft from Winnipeg are assisting with the evacuation effort. Residents are being evacuated to Greenstone, Ont.
Emergency Management Ontario is coordinating the overall provincial efforts, crews from the Ministry of Natural Resources are fighting the fires with water bombers and are planning the evacuation of Deer Lake with the Canadian Forces, and personnel from the Ministry of Health and Long-term Care are working with federal counterparts to ensure medical services are available to those who need them.
The First Nation communities of Sandy Lake, Cat Lake, North Spirit Lake, Kee-way-win and Koocheching are on evacuation alert due to a cluster of fires in the area. The MNR is monitoring the situation.
Mishkeegogamang community members recently returned home after a forest fire forced them to evacuate their community June 22.