Over 600 residents of Deer Lake First Nation evacuate from fire

Wednesday, July 27, 2011  

Some 615 residents of the remote Deer Lake First Nation in Ontario have been evacuated due to threats from a major wildfire.

The residents are staying in the Smith Falls, more than 1200 miles from the reserve. They are being housed in a former center for people with developmental and physical disabilities.

"The day we left, it was really smoky," Krystal Keewatin told The Ottawa Citizen. Keewatin and three of her children are staying at the center.

The evacuees will probably stay in Smith Falls for a couple of weeks, the paper said.

Get the Story:
Smiths Falls rises to the occasion (The Ottawa Citizen 7/27)

First Nation in Ontario evacuated over threats from major wildfire (7/19)