We received no alert, say leaders of First Nations communities razed by Canadian wildfires
Fast-moving wildfires have burned two First Nations communities in Canada to the ground, as members said they were left to self-evacuate without government help or emergency alerts.
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“If this community waited for a mandatory evacuation process, we’d be doing a recovery mission for the bodies of children, of elders, of men and women,” said Linda Debassige, grand council chief of the Anishinabek Nation, which represents 39 Ontario First Nations.
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First Nations communities are acutely vulnerable to wildfire danger in Canada, with 80% of Indigenous communities located in areas more susceptible to fires, according to a 2019 study from the Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. The Namaygoosisagagun First Nation faces an additional challenge in that, although it is recognised as a nation by many other First Nations, it is still in the process of being officially recognised by the federal government, making it more difficult to gain emergency funding.
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Nicole Redvers, an associate professor at Western University in London, Ontario, said there was a disproportionate wildfire impact on Indigenous communities due to proximity to traditional territories that livelihoods are based around, which include forests.
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