A video posted on social media by Ontario MPP Sol Mamakwa shows CN Rail workers inside a train surrounded by flames. The union representing the workers says no one was hurt.X Sol Mamakwa/The Canadian Press
Ontario is requesting assistance from the federal government to get ready to evacuate communities across the north by aircraft as dozens of forest fires burn out of control.
Ontario Emergency Preparedness Minister Jill Dunlop says in a letter to federal Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski that 15 communities in the north have already started evacuations or are considering them.
She says the situation may continue to escalate rapidly.
Fires across northwestern Ontario force evacuations, trigger air quality warnings
Dunlop says it is likely there will be simultaneous evacuations that need to be done by air, with several communities in the north not accessible by road and Ontario may not have enough resources to meet that need.
Ontario is asking the federal government to ensure aircraft and crews could be deployed in 24 hours or less in case the province needs assistance.
Premier Doug Ford has said crews and aircraft are hard at work fighting more than 180 wildfires across northern Ontario, and the province will spare no expense in keeping people safe.
Winds out of the northwest could fan the flames of dozens of forest fires that have already devastated communities, including one fast-moving blaze that damaged and destroyed homes and buildings on Namaygoosisagagun First Nation, also known as Collins First Nation, north of Thunder Bay.
Environment Canada says the community of Armstrong can expect widespread smoke with wind gusts of up to 40 kilometres per hour for most of today.
CN Railway evacuates workers, suspends operations in area hit by wildfire
The fires have prompted evacuation orders for several communities, including Armstrong, Lac La Croix First Nation, Whitesand First Nation, Gull Bay First Nation and Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation.
Ontario forest fire officials say there are 136 active fires in the northwest region, with 63 out of control and there are 44 active fires in the northeast region, with nine out of control.
Smoky skies to continue until at least Friday
Many regions of Ontario have traded heat warnings for air quality warnings as gritty, dusty wildfire smoke permeates the skies.
Environment Canada has lifted many of the heat warnings spanning the province, though hot weather is expected to linger in some areas.
Air quality warnings are now in place from Thunder Bay to Kingston and down to Toronto, London and Windsor, as residents of several First Nations communities in northwestern Ontario flee forest fires.
How poor air quality can affect your health, and how to protect yourself
The weather office has said winds from the northwest will continue to blanket southern Ontario with smoke from the northern fires until at least Friday.
The smoke was so bad on Wednesday that it turned Toronto’s skyline an eerie shade of orange and forced the first night of an outdoor music festival in London to end early.
Organizers with Rock the Park said on social media the move was made out of safety and that ticket holders would be refunded.
In Toronto, officials are keeping all outdoor pools and wading pools closed today. All Camp TO field trips are also cancelled.
People walk in downtown Toronto, as smoke from forest fires in northern Ontario causes poor air quality over the city, on Wednesday.COLE BURSTON/AFP/Getty Images