As wildfires burn along U.S.-Canada border, First Nations communities take refuge in Thunder Bay

The land just across Minnesota's border with Ontario, Canada, looks a lot like northern Minnesota. It has a similar landscape of remote forest, water, and, right now, wildfire.

There are more than 100 fires burning in Ontario and they've destroyed two First Nations communities, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Others have had to evacuate, including the Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe Nation, which has ties to the nearby Bois Forte Band of Chippewa in Minnesota.

Many evacuees are staying in Thunder Bay, where local organizations are working to support them. To learn more, MPR News host Nina Moini spoke with Cora McGuire-Cyrette, a member of the Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek First Nation and CEO of the Ontario Native Women's Association. For the last couple weeks, her organization has shifted focus to helping people displaced by wildfires.