Rylie Isaacs Laforge reported a northern Ontario wildfire to the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) on June 30. Then she watched it creep closer and closer before she and her family were forced to flee this week.
Her lodge was narrowly saved, but others in the area were not so lucky.
“It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen,” Isaacs Laforge told Global News. “Smoke rolling over our heads, knowing that if that smoke came down, that we wouldn’t be able to see or breathe.”
“The smoke has been rolling around the area for a week and it was far away, it was far away until it wasn’t far away and it was on us.”
Isaacs Laforge owns Lac Des Mille Lodge, a year-round resort just outside of Upsala, Ont., approximately 160 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay. She runs the resort with her husband and three kids.
Upsala is at the centre of catastrophe as fires ravage northwestern Ontario. According to data from the MNR, there were 129 active wildfires in the northwest region as of 6 p.m. Thursday. Of those fires, 62 were not under control.
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But leaving wasn’t so easy. Isaacs Laforge said an evacuation order had to be initiated before their insurance would kick in. By the time that happened, the fire was just a few kilometres away.
“The fire came in and came to the edge of our campground, burnt a couple of campers and decided to rage off in the other direction and burnt resorts down all over the place,” Isaacs Laforge said. “It’s a miracle that our place didn’t burn to the ground.”
Other resorts weren’t so lucky.
Isaacs Laforge said she knows of four lodges that were completely destroyed. One of those is Open Bay Lodge.
On Tuesday, Jennifer Vanderhooft, co-owner of Open Bay Lodge, said on social media that the resort was on fire.
“Sorry for everyone’s loss and me and my family are devastated,” she wrote.
“In a matter of hours, they lost not only their family business, but also their home, the cabins, and the trailer park,” Kim Staal, a friend of the VanderHooft family, wrote in a plea for crowdfunding. “Years of hard work, memories, and dreams were gone.”
As of 2p.m. Thursday, more than $38,000 has been raised to help the VanderHooft family get back on their feet.
But it’s not just the financial toll on the lodge itself. Isaacs Laforge said the loss of these resorts will have an impact on all northern Ontario communities.
“We’re terrified that our loyal American customers, they might go elsewhere,” she said. “And we bring a lot of money to the community through tourism.”
After the initial fire raged through Isaacs Laforge said MNR set up a sprinkler system on their building to help fend of smaller fires, something she said she is grateful for.
For now, the family is taking some time to decompress.
“Fires are the scariest thing you’ll ever see when they’re rolling through your neighbourhood,” Isaacs Laforge said.
On Thursday morning, Armstrong, Whitesand First Nation, Collins First Nation, Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe Nation (Lac La Croix First Nation) and surrounding area, and Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation and surrounding area were forced to evacuate.
To date, thousands have fled their homes.
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