OTTAWA — Wildfires sweeping east from Canada’s Prairies have reached Ontario, prompting military evacuations of the remote Sandy Lake First Nation. The massive 156,000-hectare blaze advanced dangerously close to the community, which lies 600 km north of Thunder Bay and lacks road access.

Military aircraft began airlifting residents over the weekend, evacuating a third of the 3,000-person population by Monday. The short runway limited aircraft capacity, slowing the process. The fire surged from 40 km to just 2 km away within 24 hours, putting lives at immediate risk.

Wildfires have already displaced over 30,000 people in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, with two provinces under states of emergency. Across Canada, 227 wildfires are active, including 20 in Ontario, and over 3.1 million hectares have burned this year.

Heavy smoke has damaged air quality in Canada, the U.S., and even reached Europe. Officials blame human activity and climate change for the surge in extreme fire events.