Northern Manitoba evacuations grow as wildfires threaten communities
Hundreds have been forced from their homes as fires continue to advance. Lynn Lake issued a mandatory evacuation order; a nearby fire grew to over 5,000 hectares in one day.
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Hundreds of people have been forced out of their homes in northern Manitoba as wildfires continue to threaten communities across the region.
Lynn Lake, a town of about 600 residents, issued a mandatory evacuation order on June 28. The last evacuation flight left Sunday morning as firefighters battled a nearby wildfire under challenging conditions—warmer temperatures, low humidity, and changing winds.
The fire, detected Thursday, had grown to 5,173 hectares by Saturday, more than three times larger than reported a day earlier. The fire was projected to reach the community Sunday, but Mayor Brandon Dulewich said Sunday afternoon he was "a lot more confident" about the situation than 24 hours prior, even if they're not "out of the woods yet."
"The influx of people coming to community to defend it has been quite overwhelming," Dulewich said. Manitoba Wildfire Service crews and companies like Alamos Gold provided equipment to set up protections around the town. "We have been able to keep the fire at bay," the mayor said. "The next few days [we're] hoping to get it to a manageable situation."
Nearby Marcel Colomb First Nation, also known as Black Sturgeon Falls, declared a state of emergency. About 100 members live on the reserve, roughly 20 kilometres east of Lynn Lake. Emergency management team member Belinda Merasty said in a Facebook video Saturday that residents were being evacuated. "I'm really sorry to our communities of Lynn Lake and to Marcel Colomb First Nation that we're experiencing this again," she said, noting that last year's wildfire season forced similar evacuations.
As of Sunday afternoon, Marcel Colomb Chief Delhia Hart-Francois said all but four residents remained in the community. Road closures meant members had lost access to essential goods and services; residents depend on Lynn Lake's grocery stores and fuel facilities.
About 100 kilometres east, O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation was also evacuating some residents after declaring a state of emergency. A blaze southwest of the community was 2,900 hectares in size as of Saturday, with several smaller fires active in the area. Highway 493 connecting the First Nation to the rest of Manitoba remained closed.
