Ontario wildfire forces construction workers to hide in shipping container

A group of Manitoba construction workers were caught in the middle of a raging wildfire in northern Ontario, and forced to make a daring escape.

Dozens of construction workers are safe after they were trapped by a wildfire near Sandy Lake First Nation in Ontario.

Sigfusson Northern, a Manitoba construction company, said 14 crew members, plus four others with other organizations, were working at a site near the First Nation on June 7.

“At the time work began in Sandy Lake First Nation on Saturday, June 7, there was no evacuation order in place. Out of an abundance of caution, we initiated aircraft evacuation plans early that morning,” the company said in a news release.

However, Sigfusson Northern had to pause the evacuation as the company said the area “became inaccessible due to fire activity.”

Video posted on social media shows fire surrounding the work site with moments of limited visibility.

The workers hid from the fire inside a shipping container.

“Thankfully, as weather conditions improved later in the day, our aviation team was able to safely reach and airlift our workers and our partner organization’s crew to safety.”

Sigfusson Northern said the workers have been reunited with their families, and counselling is available to everyone affected.

“We commend our crews for their remarkable professionalism, courage, and calm response.”

Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development said it was notified of the incident on June 9. An inspector was assigned to the case and determined everyone got out safely and the case is now closed.

Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on X Sunday that the Canadian Armed Forces have been brought in to assist with the evacuation of Sandy Lake First Nation.