Manitoba officials says wildfire contained in Flin Flon, wind change could push it into city
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Officials in Flin Flon, Man., say the fire burning near the mining city has been contained to outside its perimeter highway, and that as of Saturday evening there have been no structure losses.
Manitoba has issued an evacuation order for Bakers Narrows Provincial Park, just south of Flin Flon, due to the blaze in the area.
Local officials say there were some property and structure losses in the Bakers Narrows area, but did not have total numbers on how many properties were affected.
Wildfires in Manitoba have displaced more than 17,000 people, and evacuees are being offered food and shelter in several communities.
Thousands have also been affected by wildfires in Saskatchewan and Alberta, with several communities already forced to evacuate.
The weather has not been cooperating in parts of the Prairie provinces where wildfires are burning out-of-control.
Flin Flon Mayor George Fontaine has said a change in wind direction could push the fire into the city.
Officials said in a Facebook post Sunday morning that electricity has been restored in parts of the city and that work continues to get all areas back online.
'We're incredibly grateful for all of the support that departments from across Manitoba have provided us. They've done an outstanding job protecting our homes and the town we love,' the post said.
'Our utmost gratitude goes out to all of those who have taken time away from their homes and families to put themselves in harm's way.'
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Winnipeg Free Press
a day ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Firefighting help arrives from Quebec, more coming from U.S.; evacuees should expect to be away for weeks, Flin Flon mayor says
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Global News
2 days ago
- Global News
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CBC
2 days ago
- CBC
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In an interview Tuesday, Szott said she and her husband were at the cottage about two weeks ago, but didn't realize it would be the last time they saw it before the "complete shock and devastation" of the recent wildfires. "I just said to my husband last night, 'Why didn't we grab the photo albums?" she said. "And I just — I bleed for the people that are permanent residents that have lost absolutely everything. And I can't even express it in words." 'I just started to shake' The fires near Flin Flon are also threatening nearby Saskatchewan communities, including Denare Beach, where some residents watched through doorbell cameras as their homes burned down. Though technically in different provinces, the communities are close enough that many residents come to Flin Flon to shop, work, attend church and more, Mayor Fontaine said. "They have different community names and that sort of thing, but they're all Flin Floners," Fontaine said. "We are a community, very much so." That includes people like Elaine Angelski, who lives in Denare Beach but works in Flin Flon as a teacher at the local high school. While Angelski said as far as she knows, her home seems to have been spared so far, she felt sick when she heard about the devastation the fires had caused. "It was awful. It was an immediate stress response," she said. "I just started to shake, and felt like I was going to vomit, actually." Are you an evacuee who needs assistance? Contact Manitoba 211 by calling 211 from anywhere in Manitoba or email 211mb@ Angelski and her brother Lyle, who lives in nearby Creighton, have evacuated from their homes and are for now staying in Opaskwayak Cree Nation, about 100 kilometres south of Flin Flon, along with her two elderly dogs. But she said accommodations that work for her brother, who uses a wheelchair, have been hard to come by. "It's one day at a time, one hour at a time. And trying to be prepared for the next step, you know, trying to make sure that if we do [leave], we have somewhere else to go," she said, adding she's been looking into whether any care homes or similar facilities have an extra bed where her brother could stay. Mayor Fontaine urged people to understand that crews are working with a "complete lack of equipment right across the province" because of how many fires are burning, and warned Flin Flon residents not to try to come back to their homes before it's safe. "People say, 'Couldn't you put sprinklers on my roof?' We could have, if we just had your place to take care of," Fontaine said. WATCH | Fire crews spray water around gas station near Flin Flon, Man.: Fire crews spray water around gas station near Flin Flon, Man. 1 hour ago Duration 1:09 Crews spray down an area around a gas station with water near Flin Flon as firefighters battle blazes surrounding the northwestern Manitoba city. He added only those working on the fire response are allowed in the city right now, "and no one else is welcome — don't ask." "The reason people are out right now is because it's uncontrollable, it's out of control. And you're going to stay out — no matter who you are, no matter who you think you are — you're going to stay out until there's some degree of control." Find the latest wildfire information at these sources:
