Overview
- Residents of Namaygoosisagagun (Collins) First Nation evacuated by boat when a fast-moving wildfire swept through their community on Monday and local leaders say all people known to be present were accounted for pending a full assessment.
- Community members and nearby CN workers warned and ferried people to safety because residents received no timely official evacuation notice and had trouble reaching provincial contacts.
- Ontario has formally asked the federal government to be ready to deploy aircraft and possible Canadian Armed Forces support as evacuations continue across northwestern Ontario and Thunder Bay’s hotels reach capacity.
- Collins’ long-running lack of full federal recognition has created a policy gap that officials say could complicate access to emergency and rebuilding funds, prompting the Anishinabek Nation and the Assembly of First Nations to demand an independent review and a federal commitment to rebuild.
- The fire that destroyed Collins is part of an unusually severe national season with hundreds of active blazes and a single complex topping roughly 350,000 hectares, a situation that has strained firefighting capacity and worsened air quality across Ontario.