Hamilton is ready to welcome residents fleeing fire-ravaged northwestern Ontario this weekend, even as the need for more evacuations changes “by the hour.”
Nearly 3,600 northern Ontario residents were leaving due to heavy smoke and spreading forest fires as of Friday afternoon, with some headed to southern Ontario communities.
Greg Flood, spokesperson for Emergency Management Ontario, said no more flights to the Toronto area were expected Friday.
“There are now no additional communities under immediate threat from fire or smoke,” he said.
That situation, however, could change “by the hour.”
Flood didn't rule out a call for Hamilton's help over the weekend, as more than 2,000 firefighters and support staff wage a see-saw battle against 111 fires blazing across 500,000 hectares of forest.
Hamilton Mayor Bob Bratina said the city remained on “standby” Friday, despite the cancellation of planned Thursday flights that would have brought as many as 80 evacuees to the Steel City.
He praised local residents for repeated offers of help.
Bratina said City Hall has been inundated with calls from citizens wanting to know what they could do for the homeless residents, many of whom are from remote northern First Nations communities.
“The answer is: we're not sure yet,” he said.
Bratina said any evacuees who end up in Hamilton will be housed in the correctional training facility on Beach Boulevard, which has room for up to 240 people.
Officials from Six Nations of the Grand River are also interested in hosting evacuees, if needed, said spokesperson Karen Best.
But Best said officials are waiting for an official request from Emergency Management Ontario before putting a plan into action.
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