UPSALA, Ont. - With a massive forest fire burning about five kilometres away, Shon Dufrenne has packed up whatever he can fit into his truck and trailer, preparing for the worst.
“This is only the stuff that we can move,” Dufrenne said. “There are two residences (down there), two cabins that are going to burn.”
The community of Upsala is about 150 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay, Ont. While no evacuation order is in place, residents are being told to leave before conditions worsen.
“There are a bunch of communities that have been overrun and we could be one of them,” said Upsala Fire Chief Doug Kiezebrink.
Kiezebrink said crews are doing what they can to protect the town, including installing sprinkler systems on structures like the fire hall to help shield properties from the flames. However, local resources are limited, and with so many fires burning across the province, provincial resources are also being stretched thin.
“They (the province) have limited resources for a massive demand this year,” Kiezebrink said. “This is probably the fire season of a lifetime.”
Rain fell over Upsala Friday morning, offering a brief reprieve, but Kiezebrink warned it was not enough to end the threat.
“With this morning’s rain the fire will be knocked down some‚” he said. “It’ll take a bit for it to lick up. So I don’t think we have something to worry about today. But we’ve we won a battle. We didn’t win the war.”
Communities across the country are fighting fierce, fast-moving wildfires. Roughly 900 forest fires are currently burning across Canada, forcing thousands of people from their homes. While officials have promised additional resources to battle the fires and help those affected by them, many northern residents feel abandoned.
“We might not be in southern Ontario, but we are still in Ontario,” Dufrenne said. “Like, do we not deserve some rights or something?”
Critics have slammed the provincial government for what they call inadequate funding for forest fire prevention, pointing to low pay and high staff turnover within the fire program that have left it struggling to respond.
It is a concern echoed by Kiezebrink. “The wage scale on forest firefighting is not great. It’s hard to attract them,” he said. “I think the problems would benefit from more firefighting equipment, more firefighters.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford pushed back against the notion that fire fighters are underfunded, saying the province will do whatever it takes to get the fires under control.
“What’s a miracle (is) that no one’s lost their lives because of the incredible work of our front-line firefighters, OPP and paramedics,” Ford told reporters Friday. “No one has lost their lives. Thank God.”
Ford said Friday more than 150 fire crews and over 80 water bombers and helicopters are currently fighting fires across the province. However, officials describe the situation as massive and evolving, with roughly 190 fires burning across northern Ontario, including 20 new ones.
The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre says Ontario requires assistance from other jurisdictions to help fight its fires. The province has received help from almost 100 out-of-province crews, 14 aircraft and 100 pumps, according to the agency.
While people like Shon Dufrenne appreciate the front-line efforts, he says his anger is directed toward the government for forgetting people in the North.
“I’m depressed. I’m sad. Ticked off a little bit, but we got to do what we got to do,” he said. “These guys are doing whatever they can do and it is what it is. Move on. Come back when it’s done, I guess.”
