Northern Manitoba evacuees stream south to escape raging wildfires
*
Thousands flee northern Manitoba forest fires
*
Aid coming in from US, other Canadian provinces
*
Manitoba, Saskatchewan declare provincial emergencies over fires
WINNIPEG, Manitoba, - As thousands of people fled from areas overwhelmed by wildfires in remote northern Manitoba on Friday, the Canadian province's capital Winnipeg scrambled to find housing and care for the sudden wave of evacuees.
The outbreak of fires across much of western Canada's north is due to unusually hot and dry conditions and flames are consuming hundreds of thousands of hectares of tinder-dry forest and bushland.
"It's hard on everybody," said school maintenance technician Richard Korte, who had fled to Winnipeg from Flin Flon, a regional centre of 5,000 people on the Saskatchewan-Manitoba border, and wondered where his family would sleep that night.
The neighbouring western provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba have both declared states of emergency to deal with the spreading fires, which have so far largely hit remote and sparsely-populated areas.
Evacuee Chris Schultz was sitting in the cab of his pickup truck with his dog, Stella, and hoped to get a glimpse of friends and relatives arriving at a temporary emergency shelter inside a hockey arena in Winnipeg.
Inside the center, his friend Korte had been trying to arrange housing for his family, including his disabled son who needs special supports and cannot stay in an arena.
People from northern Indigenous communities are fleeing as fires approach and their few routes to the south are cut off. Some communities have airlifted their most vulnerable people out, but smoke has closed at least one airport.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said about 17,000 Manitobans are fleeing the fires as the weather remains hot and dry.
"We need to stay calm," said Kinew in a press conference on Friday afternoon. He praised the help coming from Quebec, other provinces and the U.S., which is sending 125 firefighting staff to Manitoba.
"We cannot thank other jurisdictions enough."
Flin Flon mayor George Fontaine said on Friday morning that a weather report indicated it was likely that winds would blow the raging fire into the town.
"It could be very catastrophic if that happens," Fontaine said on CBC News Network.
There are 23 active fires in Manitoba and 14 in Saskatchewan, according to provincial data. The oil-producing province of Alberta also has 51 active fires, and oil companies have been evacuating workers this week.
Last year, wildfires devastated Jasper, a tourist town in the Canadian Rockies.
In his truck, Schultz said he might break out crying. But he hoped dog Stella would put a smile on the face of some of his fellow evacuees.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
9 hours ago
- The Hindu
IMD forecasts minimal rain activity in Andhra Pradesh until June 9 with a slight temperature increase
There will not be much rain activity in the State until June 9 and daytime temperatures are also going to see a slight increase, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast issued on June 2, Monday. The southwest monsoon arrived in the State on May 26 (last Monday), eight days ahead of its usual date of around June 4, leading to widespread rainfall in the State last week. However, at present, dry and humid conditions are prevailing at many places. This, according to the IMD authorities, is nothing out of the normal pattern. IMD, Amaravati, Director S. Stella said many stations in the State had received 'large excess' rainfall during the month of May. 'Last week was a good monsoon start. There will be a brief pause in the rainfall activity before it resumes again after June 11. This is a normal rainfall pattern,' Ms. Stella said. She added that the IMD has predicted above-normal rainfall for the State in June and also throughout the southwest monsoon. There will be a gradual rise in daytime temperatures in the State by 2-3° Celsius till June 4, according to the IMD forecast. Light to moderate rain, accompanied by lightning and thunderstorms, is expected in one or two places (25% or less than 25% stations). The probablity of the same is less. At present, lower tropospheric Westerly/Southwesterly winds are prevailing over Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, which has brought about the change in the weather. Except for a few stations in Rayalaseema that received patchy rainfall, all other stations in the State recorded above 38° Celsius daytime temperatures on Monday. Jangamaheswarapuram recorded the day's maximum temperature of 41° Celsius. The daytime temperatures in Visakhapatnam, Narsapur, Machilipatnam and Kakinada too remained above 38° Celsius. At 7 p.m., the minimum temperatures remained above 35° Celsius in many stations in the districts of Prakasam, NTR, Palnadu, Bapatla and SPSR Nellore, according to the realtime data provided by the A.P. State Development and Planning Society.
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Time of India
Alerts issued as more than 200,000 people in these US states told to stay indoors amid heightened risks
US states issue air quality alert Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Three US states Michigan, Minnesota and South Carolina have asked people to stay indoors as air quality alerts were in effect across them on Monday morning, reports NewsWeek. Health officials said that vulnerable populations—such as children, older adults and individuals with existing respiratory issues—face heightened risks during periods of poor air matter from wildfire smoke can worsen asthma, trigger heart problems, and lower lung function in developing children, reports said. In Michigan and Minnesota, smoke from Canadian wildfires remains a major cause of concern. The National Weather Service (NWS) said smoke from fires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan is spreading south due to a cold counties affected included Mackinac, Chippewa, Menominee, Keweenaw, Dickinson, Iron, Marquette, Baraga, Schoolcraft, Houghton, Delta, Ontonagon, Gogebic, Luce and Alger, NewsWeek report said."It is recommended that, when possible, you avoid strenuous outdoor activities, especially those with heart disease and respiratory diseases such as asthma," read the entirety of Minnesota was also under air quality alert. People are being advised to avoid outdoor activity, especially strenuous exercise, stay indoors with windows closed, use air purifiers if available and avoid outdoor burning and other pollution-causing activities."A cold front will continue to drag smoke from large wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan southward into Minnesota. This will be a long duration event with multiple rounds of smoke expected," read the air quality alert for an air quality alert had been issued for Catawba and Upstate regions of South Carolina. The alert said that weather conditions were expected to cause high ozone pollution levels."This has been further compounded by higher than projected ozone readings from over the weekend and an influence from interactions with the Canadian wildfire smoke that has poured across the Plains and Southeast," it of pediatric respiratory and environmental medicine Jonathan Grigg, with Queen Mary University of London, previously told Newsweek: "There are vulnerable groups and classically they are children because they've got an extra issue to do with their lungs developing, whereas our lungs are not developing as adults."Their trajectory can be deviated so they don't actually achieve their maximum lung function."There are also "very clear links" between inhaling particles and earlier death from both respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, Grigg Grigg said conditions such as asthma are also exacerbated by exposure to air May, when Florida's air turned toxic, more than 50,000 residents were warned to hunker down indoors as dangerous pollution levels warned it could cause coughing, breathing problems and exacerbate any chronic heart or lung conditions in sensitive groups, with older adults at risk because their bodies are less able to compensate for environmental hazards. According to the EPA, the orange AQI level (101–150) marks the point at which outdoor air becomes a threat to anyone with asthma, heart conditions, or other respiratory illnesses. Symptoms like coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and even chest pain can appear or intensify - and for some, may require emergency medical intervention.
Hindustan Times
20 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Over 25,000 residents evacuated from 3 provinces over wildfire in Canada
Active wildfires remained active in parts of Canada and the US on Sunday, and affected air quality, prompting the evacuation of over 25,000 residents in three provinces, Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. About 8,000 residents in Saskatchewan were shifted to safer locations, and leaders said more people could be relocated amid the growing wildfire situation. Air quality also worsened in Canada and some US states along the border, and the wildfire smoke also affected visibility. Saskatchewan's Public Safety Agency on Sunday issued a warning and said, "Air quality and visibility due to wildfire smoke can fluctuate over short distances and can vary considerably from hour to hour. As smoke level increases, health risks increase." Firefighters, emergency crews and air support from other provinces and US states, including Oregon, Alaska, and Arizona, were being sent to fight the blaze, said Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe. In a social media post, Moe said, "We are truly grateful, and we stand stronger because of you," he added. Moe attributed the growing fires to the current hot and dry weather in the region, saying it also increases the threat to communities living there. 'The next four to seven days are absolutely critical until we can find our way to changing weather patterns, and ultimately a soaking rain throughout the north,' he said during a press conference. Over 5,000 people were evacuated from Manitoba's Flin Flon, situated nearly 645 kilometers (400 miles) northwest of the capital of Winnipeg. The blaze also knocked out the power supply to the community of Cranberry Portage in northern Manitoba, forcing a mandatory evacuation order on Saturday. The blaze chaos in Flin Flon started a week ago near Saskatchewan's Creighton region, and quickly crossed the boundary into Manitoba. Firefighting crews have been struggling to contain the fire. Meanwhile, the US Department of Agriculture's Forest Service deployed an air tanker to Alberta and said it would send 150 firefighters and equipment to Canada. Evacuation centres have also been opened in Manitoba for those seeking shelter and fleeing the fire. Additionally, Winnipeg opened public buildings for evacuees as hotels were already filled with fire refugees, vacationers, business people and convention attendees. Manitoba's Indigenous leaders on Saturday said that hotel rooms in the cities were full, calling on the government to direct hotel owners to prioritise evacuees. Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson termed it to be one of the largest evacuations in the province since the 1990s. 'It's really sad to see our children having to sleep on the floor. People are sitting, waiting in hallways, waiting outside, and right now, we just need people to come together. People are tired,' Wilson. The US Environmental Protection Agency's AirNow page showed that air quality levels reached the "unhealthy" category on Sunday in some parts of the US, North Dakota, and small swaths in Montana, Minnesota, and South Dakota. Bryan Jackson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said, "We should expect at least a couple more rounds of Canadian smoke to come through the U.S. over the next week." A fire in the US border state of Idaho also burned at least 100 acres of land, prompting the closure of roads and evacuations. The Idaho Department of Lands said that at least one structure was burned in the incident, but did not provide any further details. May to September is wildfire season in Canada, and the worst of it ever was seen in 2023. Much of North America choked on the smoke-infused air.
