Thompson, Man. mayor optimistic about efforts to fight wildfires

Global News

2 days ago

The mayor of Thompson, Man., says she's optimistic about her city's battle against another encroaching wildfire.
Colleen Smook told 680 CJOB's Connecting Winnipeg that the heavy smoke that cloaked the northern city over the long weekend had dissipated — somewhat — by Tuesday, and that aerial crews are back in action, tackling nearby blazes from above.
'Saturday was just terrible, Sunday it improved… yesterday we had a bit of smoke,' she said.
'Today, it is a touch of smoke, but basically the sun is shining through there — there is smoke in the area, but very little as compared to the other day.'
Smook said aerial firefighting crews had to be grounded while evacuees from nearby Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation fled to Winnipeg via the local airport.
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Thompson itself has not been evacuated, however — something the mayor said would be a daunting task given the population of the city, Manitoba's sixth-most populated.
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'Where are you going to put 15-18,000 people? If we would have evacuated at the first threat (to) our community… that means we would have been out of community already for three weeks, sleeping on cots or wherever,' she said.
Things could change, however, in an instant depending on the weather, so Smook said city officials remain on alert in case any speedy action needs to be taken to keep residents safe.
Thompson's residents, she said, are prepared to leave if they need to.
'One huge wind or turn in the fire, and it could be at us within a day or two.'
Smoke from wildfires across the Prairies continues to wreak havoc on all parts of Canada — from British Columbia to the Maritimes — with Environment and Climate Change Canada issuing air quality warnings in various regions from coast to coast.