
Premier tours northern Manitoba wildfire zone
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew got an aerial view of parts of northwestern Manitoba devastated by wildfires in recent weeks. He also met with those involved in the firefighting effort around Flin Flon and visited a congregate shelter in Thompson.
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Tornado warning issued for areas of southern Alberta
Environment Canada has issued a tornado warning for areas of southern Alberta. The agency says its meteorologists 'are tracking a severe thunderstorm that is possibly producing a tornado' and that 'damaging winds, large hail and locally intense rainfall are also possible.' The warning was issued at 5:21 p.m. The warning is in effect for: Stettler County near Byemoor and Endiang; Starland County near Michichi and Delia; and S.A. 2 near Spondin and Scapa. According to Environment Canada, the storm 'is located 15 km north of Delia and is moving east at 30 km/h.' The agency advises 'this is a dangerous and potentially life-threatening situation.' 'Take cover immediately if threatening weather approaches. If you hear a roaring sound or see a funnel cloud, swirling debris near the ground, flying debris or any threatening weather approaching, take shelter immediately,' the warning says. 'Go indoors to a room on the lowest floor, away from outside walls and windows, such as a basement, bathroom, stairwell or interior closet. Leave mobile homes, vehicles, tents, trailers and other temporary or free-standing shelter and move to a strong building if you can. 'As a last resort, lie in a low spot and protect your head from flying debris.'


CTV News
2 hours ago
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Wet weather to provide little respite for northern Alberta wildfires
A view of a smoke plume coming off of the Caribou Lake Wildfire, near Winefred Lake, on June 3, 2025 (Photo: Alberta Wildfire) While much of central Alberta is getting a good dose of rain in the coming days, the wet weather won't make it up north where many wildfires are still blazing out of control. Melissa Story with Alberta Wildfire said the northwest part of the province likely won't see much rain. 'Northern parts of the province will likely see higher fire behaviour and increased fire danger,' said Story, adding that crews are working to contain a number of out-of-control wildfires in the area. The Red Earth Creek wildfire complex north of Slave Lake hasn't seen any rain, said Story. Red Earth Creek wildfire complex One of several fires that make up the Red Earth Creek Creek complex can be seen in a photo from June 2, 2025. (Photo: Alberta Wildfire) (iPhone) Luckily, the Kiskatinaw River wildfire on the Alberta-B.C. border is expected to see 20 to 40 millimetres of precipitation. Story said the fire, which has burned over 26,000 hectares, hasn't grown significantly in the last couple of days and is seeing less fire behaviour. 'We're making some really great progress on it,' said Story. Crews from Eastern Canada, the U.S. and Australia are still in Alberta helping to fight the 51 wildfires. On track for a worse wildfire season than 2024 This year, Alberta has seen 551 wildfires that have burned over 650,000 hectares There were 425 fires around this time last year that had burned just 30,000 hectares. Trees scorched by wildfire stand in a burn area near Fox Creek, Alberta, on Tuesday, July 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) Trees scorched by wildfire stand in a burn area near Fox Creek, Alberta, on Tuesday, July 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) (Noah Berger/AP) 'We are well above where we were last year,' said Story. 'When we compare to 2023, which was the worst wildfire year we saw on record, we're at about half of the area burned than we were at that time.' Some communities still under evacuation Several wildfires that make up the Red Earth Creek wildfire complex near Slave Lake have prevented residents in five communities from returning home. Evacuation orders for Chipewyan Lake, Peerless and Trout Lake, Red Earth Creek and Loon River First Nation are still in place. Chipewyan Lake has suffered significant structural damage in the community. Chipewyan Lake June 2 fire Aerial photos show the Bigstone Cree Nation health centre destroyed by fire in Chipewyan Lake on June 2, 2025. (Photo: Facebook/Bigstone Cree Nation) The County of Grande Prairie downgraded an evacuation order Thursday as rainfall continues to stall the growth of the Kiskatinaw River wildfire. An evacuation order for those north of Township Road 710 to 740, east of the Alberta-B.C. border to Range Road 132 is still in place. Evacuation alerts remain for others in the area. Those under an alert should be prepared to leave within 30 minutes' notice. For all active evacuation orders and emergency alerts, visit the Alberta Emergency Alert website. Other wildfires of note Highway 25 is closed between Hawk Hills and Keg River while the Slims Creek wildfire burns 30 kilometres north of Manning. Speed reductions are in place due to decreased visibility with smoke conditions. The Twin Lakes Provincial Recreation Area near the Slims Creek wildfire remains closed. Officials say the fire has grown considerably over the last day. Airtankers and helicopters are dumping water on the Blue Sky wildfire about 22 kilometres north of Marten Beach. Wildfire near Edson Airtankers work on a wildfire near Edson, Alta., in a Friday, June 9, 2023, handout photo. A town in northwestern Alberta is being evacuated due to an out-of-control wildfire. An evacuation order has been issued for the town of Edson and parts of Yellowhead County. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Government of Alberta Fire Service The Tulip Lake wildfire is burning 15 kilometres northeast of Fort Fitzgerald and 28 kilometres east of Fort Smith. The fire saw minimal growth yesterday due to favourable conditions but with warm weather hitting the area over the next several days, active fire behaviour is expected. Night vision helicopters worked on the Sousa Creek wildfire near High Level last night. The fire is estimated to be over 42,000 hectares in size. About 14 millimetres of rain significantly decreased activity with the Caribou Lake wildfire. The fire is still out of control and has reached over 69,000 hectares in size. Fire bans in the Forest Protection Area are still in place. Check with your municipal government for local fire bans. Information on active wildfires can be found on the Government of Alberta website.

CTV News
2 hours ago
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Crews continue to gain ground in Saskatchewan wildfires battle with evacuees repatriating
Highway 106 is closed as wildfires burn near Smeaton, Sask. on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) and Premier Scott Moe said that the province is in a much stronger position Friday in its fight against wildfires than in recent days. Many evacuees have been repatriated back to their communities or are in the process, and fire growth has been minimal thanks to recent rainfall, allowing crews to aggressively fight back flames. 'Much of that is due to the effort and the work of our firefighters on the ground, whether they be wildland firefighters or whether they be local and municipal firefighters and volunteers from across the province,' Moe said, thanking crews for their hard work. Moe added that work has also been done by SaskTel and SaskPower to restore communication and power services to many communities threatened by the recent fires. He also acknowledged that despite a positive past couple of days, much more will need to be done, including supporting those that have lost homes and values. 'The work doesn't end with people returning to their homes. The work will go on for weeks and literally go on for months as we see far too many homes that have been lost,' Moe said. Families that have lost homes will see the province working with them closely to provide support, Moe added. That includes work to distribute $500 to all evacuees 18 years and older. 'We're working on all of those fronts so that we don't leave anyone out, but also that we don't slow down the effort to get this into family's hands as soon as possible,' Moe said. According to Moe, more than half of some 15,000 total evacuees have returned to their communities. The SPSA said that approximately 10,300 people have returned or will be shortly, with many who self-evacuated also doing the same. However, approximately 400 values have been damaged, according to the SPSA, with efforts continuing to determine exactly what was impacted The SPSA said on Friday afternoon that 19 wildfires remain burning in Saskatchewan. Five are still considered not contained. SPSA president Marlo Pritchard said that five communities are also still under a mandatory evacuation. 'Those are Creighton, Denare Beach, East Trout Lake, Whelan Bay, as well as the P1 and P2s in Cumberland House,' Pritchard said. Pritchard said they also recognize that some people returning to their communities will face both difficult and unique challenges and encouraged people to use the province's website to access mental health supports. A backlog of people calling the province for help has also been addressed, with Pritchard saying evacuees that call the province for assistance will now be taken care of immediately or within a day. Regarding 30 wildfires the province has determined were intentionally set, Pritchard said work continues to gather evidence that can be supplied to police. 'We ask for public assistance if they know anything of any of those intentional acts that were conducted. If you know anything, please call Crime Stoppers or your local police jurisdiction.' So far, RCMP have laid two arson charges in connection with the Ditch02 fire near Weyakwin that forced multiple evacuations. Pritchard and Government Relations Minister Eric Schmalz also said that the ATV and UTV ban will be lifted at 5 p.m. on Friday, but the current provincial fire ban will remain in effect. Looking ahead, Pritchard also said Friday's weather forecast is positive, with cloudy and cooler temperatures expected along with the possibility of more rainfall.