Kelvin Chicago wasn’t about to wait for the blockade into Lac Des Mille Lacs to lift before he found out if the forest fires had taken his home. First Nations people living on Lac Des Mille Lacs, 150 kilometers west of what is now Thunder Bay, were displaced by early hydro dam development nearby. Lac Des Mille Lacs First Nation member Kelvin Chicago circumvented the blockade to reach his home by boat and inspect the damage to his community. A Lac Des Mille Lacs home smoulders after having been lost to fire. Lac Des Mille Lacs First Nation chief and council declared a state of emergency and mandatory evacuation on July 17.