Evacuations ordered as fire spreads
Killarney residents among those affected by ‘Parry Sound 33’ blaze
While heavy grey smoke from a nearby forest fire hung in the air, Donna Butson packed a bag of clothes and walked in her backyard with tears running down her eyes.
She is one of many residents who had to leave their homes Tuesday due to the fire known as Parry Sound 33 raging in northeastern Ontario.
“I lost my husband three years ago and he is everywhere here,” she said as she looked around her property in Killarney. “When I don’t have this, I lose a lot more than the buildings.”
Parry Sound 33 started on July 18 and has now burned more than 100 square kilometres, said Jonathan Scott, spokesperson for the Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources.
The blaze was only five kilometres from the Trans-Canada Highway on Tuesday and will likely spread further in the coming days as the weather stays dry and windy, he said.
The ministry said there are more than 500 firefighters battling the blaze, and more than 200 of them are from Mexico.
“Each crew is assigned a team leader who is bilingual and relays orders,” Scott said. “So far, it’s been going really well and everyone is working really well together to suppress this fire.”
In Killarney, the municipal government has issued evacuation orders for certain areas, instructing residents to take three days’ worth of clothing, food and water with them.
Gordon Fraser, who moved to Killarney about a year ago, was also leaving Tuesday morning. He said he was going to stay with his daughter and her hus- band in Sudbury, about 100 kilometres to the north. “Of course I am worried about my property,” Fraser said, wiping tears from his eyes. “But we are not hungry and we are dry and safe.”
Rob Joll, owner of the Flat Rapids Camp and Resort in Killarney, said he and holidaymakers in the area were also forced to evacuate. On Tuesday, he packed up some of his belongings, leaving behind about 100 vacant cottages and trailers.
“It is so disappointing for the people that are here on summer vacation, especially with the long weekend ahead of us,” he said.
“For me, it is a revenue loss because I can’t rent cottages,” he said. “My only hope is that when we come back, there will be something to come back to.”
In French River, east of Killarney, an evacuation alert has been issued by the municipal government, warning residents in some areas that they should be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.
“It’s a waiting game,” said Jack Bearman, who has lived in the area for about 30 years. “You just have to hope you don’t go up in flames.” Bearman owns the French River Inn Motel, located just off Hwy. 69, where the smoke from the fire was creeping in. He said this time of the season is usually the busiest of the year.
But now, the rooms and dining hall are empty. Workers were looking out the window at smoke spreading rapidly.
“I’ve seen fires before, but never anything like this,” said Bearman.