Evacuees from Poplar Hill First Nation arrive in Thunder Bay

The City of Thunder Bay is hosting hundreds of residents of Poplar Hill First Nation, who have been forced to leave their homes due to a nearby forest fire.

The first planes full of Poplar Hill residents began arriving in Thunder Bay on Sunday afternoon. There's no word yet on how long they're expected to remain in Thunder Bay.

"We're taking what we've got the capacity to safely host, which is approximately 300 at this point," said Eric Nordlund, Thunder Bay's deputy fire chief. "There will be flights that are being arranged to take folks to other communities from the province."

The city said the evacuation was largely due to Red Lake 65, a forest fire that broke out on July 5. The fire is now burning about 10 kilometres west of Poplar Hill, which is located about 545 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay.

According to the province's interactive forest fire map, Red Lake 65 was just over 4,000 hectares in size as of late Sunday afternoon. The fire was listed as not under control.

Nordlund said Poplar Hill residents will stay in local hotels while they're in Thunder Bay.

The city said there are no active cases of COVID-19 in Poplar Hill, as vaccinations have already been rolled out in the community.

The city said it will be able to access funding from other levels of government to cover the financial impact of hosting the Poplar Hill residents.