Growing wildfires in northern Manitoba prompt evacuations

Growing wildfires in northern Manitoba prompted three communities to declare states of emergency and begin evacuating over the weekend.

Lynn Lake residents were told to leave the community on Saturday. In an update on Sunday night the town said “a significant step forward” was taken as burn operations began in the community.

“Favourable weather conditions allowed crews to begin implementing a strategic burn operation to help protect our community,” the town posted, adding it expects to resume operations on Monday, weather permitting.

Burn operations ignite any remaining fire fuel, such as trees and plants, to ensure the wildfire cannot re-spark and continue spreading.

“We’ve been waking up for the last few days (to) smoke in the air,” Lynn Lake Mayor Brandon Dulewich told Global News.

“When this thing started on Thursday, it looked like we were going to get rain all Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. Here we are, Monday morning now. I haven’t seen any rain to speak of.”

As of Sunday afternoon, the province said firefighters from the emergency response team CANTF4 and the Office of the Fire Commissioner were in the town.

Fourteen firefighters, “three trailers dedicated to value protection,” a fire engine, and two GlobalMedic fire skids were said to be on-site by the province in an emailed statement.

“We’re definitely not out of the woods yet but the amount of resources that have been allocated since the start of this thing and have made it up here — it’s taken them a couple of days to get to where we are, but I feel a lot more confident with the amount of resources we have on the ground now,” Dulewich said.

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The final flight for evacuees leaving the community of less than 600 people departed for Brandon on Sunday morning, according to the town’s Facebook.

Nearly 110 members of Marcel Colomb First Nation, which is less than 50 kilometres outside of Lynn Lake, were also evacuated on Sunday, according to Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO), a non-profit advocacy group.

“Marcel Colomb First Nation has activated its evacuation plan due to ongoing wildfires and the mandatory evacuation of nearby Lynn Lake, which serves as a key supply and service hub for the first nation,” MKO wrote in a news release that day.

More than 200 kilometres away from Lynn Lake, O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation is also facing a wildfire.

The nation is currently evacuating priority one and two residents as road access on Highway 493 was cut off by the fire, according to MKO. The highway was said to be the only way in or out of the community.

Priority evacuees are those who require additional supports, such as medical care. They are expected to be flown out on Sunday and Monday, the release added.

The Red Cross, MKO and Indigenous Services Canada are supporting both nations’ efforts.

“We just wanted to provide some evacuation supports to the community because this is a community-led evacuation. They’re doing a great job,” said Luc Mullinder, vice-president of the Canadian Red Cross in Manitoba.

“In this instance, our role is providing some transportation, emergency accommodations, helping the community register and providing some reception information services.”

He said the charity is currently assisting just under 200 evacuees from the nations as they go to Winnipeg or Brandon.

“It’s a really stressful time,” Mullinder said, “you just sort of throw everything you can in a bag and leave.”

MKO said its emergency management team is in communication with local leaders.