Wildfire risk increases, more evacuations scheduled
Manitoba government officials said at a news conference Thursday afternoon that there are about 15 people remaining in the Island Lake community, and about nine or 10 will be flown out in two groups. The others will remain in place to maintain operations there, including an air strip used in fighting wildfires.
The wildfire risk across the province is considered high to very high.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES
The province says nearly 13,000 Manitoba residents are currently evacuated from nine communities because of wildfires.
'After some precipitation in a few areas over the last few days, we're definitely starting to see fire activity start to pick up as things dry out,' Kristin Hayward, assistant deputy minister of the Manitoba Wildfire Service, said.
'There's also an… extreme fire danger in the northeast area of the province.'
The province says nearly 13,000 Manitoba residents are currently evacuated from nine communities because of wildfires. Evacuees are staying with friends and families, at hotels, and at evacuation centres. Four such centres are open in Winnipeg, with 6,100 beds available.
Christine Stevens, assistant deputy minister of the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization, said there have been some questions about why some evacuees are placed in hotels and others are sent to congregate shelters. She said there are a number of factors, including long-term hotel availability.
'We don't want evacuees to have to move and relocate from hotel to hotel. We want them to settle in,' she said.
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More than 700 evacuees have been moved into hotels since Monday, and the number of hotels used has increased from 58 to 68 since then.
'Every single day, we're working to bring more hotels online that are a good fit for the needs of the community members that have been evacuated,' Stevens said.
There were 118 active wildfires in Manitoba as of Wednesday and 313 so far this year. The 20-year average for this date is 229.
Nearly 300 people from outside Manitoba are helping with the wildfires here. More than two-thirds of them are from Mexico.
fpcity@freepress.mb.ca
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