A northern Ontario First Nation has declared a state of emergency and is attempting to evacuate hundreds of residents as smoke from a nearby wildfire blows into the community. Pikangikum First Nation, a remote fly-in reserve 500 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay, Ont., declared the state of emergency overnight, according to provincial and Indigenous officials. Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler said not a single military plane had arrived in Pikangikum by early Thursday afternoon — a fact confirmed by the military. The City of Thunder Bay said it’s preparing to receive about 300 evacuees from Pikangikum over the next 48 hours. It said in a statement that Thunder Bay will also serve as a “transportation hub” to help move evacuees to other host communities across the province.

Source: thestar May 30, 2019 18:22 UTC