ONTARIO — Fast-moving wildfires have destroyed two First Nations communities in Canada. Members of the affected First Nations communities stated they self-evacuated without government assistance or emergency alerts.

Namaygoosisagagun First Nation was engulfed by fire on 15 June. The buildings and infrastructure of Namaygoosisagagun First Nation were completely destroyed. Approximately two dozen people from Namaygoosisagagun First Nation evacuated by boat across a nearby lake. All members of Namaygoosisagagun First Nation safely escaped the fire.

Members of Namaygoosisagagagun First Nation evacuated to Thunder Bay. The Anishinabek Nation has been providing assistance to evacuated members of Namaygoosisagagun First Nation. Namaygoosisagagun First Nation is located north of Thunder Bay in north-western Ontario. The community is recognized as a nation by many other First Nations but is still in the process of being officially recognized by the federal government.

Linda Debassige, Grand Council Chief of the Anishinabek Nation, stated that Namaygoosisagagun Chief Helen Paavola made inquiries to the federal government in the days leading up to the fire. Debassige stated that the Namaygoosisagagun community was assured by the federal government there was no imminent threat before the fire.

"If this community waited for a mandatory evacuation process, we’d be doing a recovery mission for the bodies of children, of elders, of men and women," Debassige said. He added that the lack of official federal recognition makes it more difficult for Namaygoosisagagun First Nation to gain emergency funding. He said that Canada’s federal government agreed to provide funding for Namaygoosisagagun First Nation. He said that the Anishinabek Nation had to offer financial support due to delays on the government side.

Whitewater Lake First Nation was destroyed by recent wildfires. First Nations leaders stated that the infrastructure of Whitewater Lake First Nation is gone. Whitewater Lake First Nation is located about 250km north of Thunder Bay. The community is made up of mostly seasonal residences with no full-time residents.

Nicole Redvers is an associate professor at Western University in London, Ontario. A community had to evacuate themselves without any warning, Redvers said. Redvers stated there is a disproportionate wildfire impact on Indigenous communities due to proximity to traditional territories that livelihoods are based around, which include forests. He stated that Canada’s lack of planning around community resilience on climate change contributed to scenarios like the one faced by Namaygoosisagagun.

"If we don’t have the preparedness capacity within Canada to ensure that all communities have climate adaption plans in place … we’re definitely not well placed to have resilience within our communities going forward," he said. A 2019 study in the Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction stated that 80% of Indigenous communities in Canada are located in areas more susceptible to fires.

Thirteen communities in Ontario have been ordered to evacuate due to wildfires. Most of the thirteen evacuated communities in Ontario are First Nations. There are nearly 1,000 wildfires burning across Canada. Approximately 200 wildfires are burning in Ontario.

Doug Ford traveled to Thunder Bay over the weekend. Ontario Premier Doug Ford stated that close to 2,000 people had been evacuated to cities including Toronto and Niagara Falls. Doug Ford stated the province was willing to spend whatever was necessary to fight the fires.

First Nations leaders, including from the Anishinabek Nation, accused Doug Ford of being unclear about provincial support and of disorganization in coordinating with First Nations. The CBC reported that Ontario spent $271 million on emergency firefighting in 2025-26. The CBC reported that Ontario plans to spend $150 million on emergency firefighting in 2026-27.

The destruction of Namaygoosisagagun First Nation and Whitewater Lake First Nation shows the vulnerability of Indigenous communities to wildfire disasters. The lack of government alerts and delays in funding have prompted scrutiny of emergency response protocols for First Nations. The Anishinabek Nation's intervention provided necessary support when government mechanisms failed to respond in time. The disproportionate impact on Indigenous communities reflects broader issues of climate resilience and preparedness in Canada.