Phillip Campbell has been closely watching the skies to see which way the wind blows — and whether it will keep nearby wildfires at bay.

The elder from North Spirit Lake First Nation in northwestern Ontario is among roughly 240 evacuees travelling south to escape Red Lake 62, an out-of-control blaze that's more than 26,000 hectares large.

The first planes out of the remote Oji-Cree community landed in Thunder Bay Friday afternoon. From there, evacuees — consisting of some of the community's most …