THUNDER BAY – In a press statement released by the City of Thunder Bay:
In the interest of safety, security and the wellbeing for everyone, the City of Thunder Bay has opted to decline hosting any additional wildfire evacuees, including the previously stated 200 additional evacuees that were expected to arrive in the city tomorrow and Wednesday.
“As a result of the influx of forest fire evacuees from Pikangikum, the City is seeing greater demand in support and services, including constraints on emergency services,” said Norm Gale, Emergency Operations Control Group Chair and City Manager. “Safety is our top priority, and in order to provide the best support we can to those already here, we made the decision to decline any additional evacuees at this time.”
The City has already accepted more than 200 people, and was preparing for more; however, these numbers did not include the more than 600 people who have self-evacuated here and now require City services and support.
Pikangikum First Nation, with a population of approximately 4,500, continues its full evacuation, with help now from Saskatchewan to take evacuees.
Organizations working together locally to increase capacity and provide support services include the following: City of Thunder Bay, Police, Fire Rescue, Superior North EMS, and the Canadian Red Cross.
