Smoke pours into the US as Canada wildfires force province's largest evacuation in ‘living memory'

CNN

2 days ago

Massive wildfires burning out of control in western and central Canada are forcing thousands to flee as dire forecasts for the country's fire season come to fruition. The intensifying blazes are also sending hazardous smoke toward major cities in the United States.
The premiers of Manitoba and Saskatchewan provinces have declared monthlong states of emergency, and much of Canada, from the Northwest Territories and Alberta to Ontario, are at 'extreme' risk of wildfires on Friday — the highest level on Environment Canada's fire risk scale.
There are just over 170 wildfires burning across Canada as of Thursday, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center, about half of them uncontrolled. The country raised its National Preparedness Level to 5 of 5 on Thursday, unusually high for this early in the fire season. Last year, Canada didn't reach that level until July 15.
In Manitoba, around 17,000 people are under evacuation orders, including in the city of Flin Flon, Pimicikamak Cree Nation and the northern community of Cross Lake, along with Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, according to CNN's Canadian news partner CBC News.
'Pray for rain,' Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said during a news briefing Friday, adding that 'in the absence of that, the past few days have been very challenging, and that may continue.'
He said Saturday will be 'challenging' as the wind is projected shift to 'some unhelpful direction,' that could heighten threats for some areas.
Earlier in the week, Kinew called the wildfire 'a moment of fear and uncertainty' and 'a moment of concern,' as he acknowledged the largest evacuation order 'in most people's living memory.'
The Canadian Armed Forces have deployed aircraft to evacuate residents from Pimicikamak Cree Nation and Mathias Colomb First Nation, Canadian Joint Operations Command said on X Friday.
A potentially dire situation was unfolding Friday in Flin Flon, a community of about 5,000 people. A wind shift was threatening to drive flames into the city, with Mayor George Fontaine telling CBC: 'It's got a straight path into here.'
Most residents have already evacuated and those remaining have been told to leave. 'Everybody has to be gone, and then we're going to have to just see what nature does,' Fontaine said. 'Everyone's really fearful.'
Around 2,000 residents were stranded in Pukatawagan, Manitoba, also known as Mathias Colomb, after thick smoke from the encroaching fire shut down its airport at around 6:30 p.m. CDT Thursday, the First Nations chief Gordie Bear told CBC.
'We're getting desperate now. It's getting rougher,' Bear said.
Children and elders were among the community members still trying to evacuate, Pukatawagan resident Venessa Hart told CBC Thursday evening.
'How they're going to get us out now?' Hart said. 'I'm scared. I'm really scared. My anxiety is through the roof.'
Wildfires have also forced thousands of evacuations in neighboring Saskatchewan, and Premier Scott Moe declared a provincial emergency Thursday. It followed calls from First Nations leaders to take that step, noting 'deep concerns' over resources to battle the fires.
'It's a very serious situation that we're faced with in Saskatchewan. We do need some rainfall and we need that sooner rather than later,' Moe said at a news conference.
Climate change is leading to an increase in wildfire risk days, as well as more frequent and larger fires that exhibit more extreme wildfire behavior.
Canada had its worst wildfire season on record in 2023, when extreme heat and drought helped propel blazes that burned more than 45 million acres. Last year's fire season was Canada's second-worst of the century. Some of those blazes also sent thick, hazardous smoke into US cities.
This year, wildfires have burned more than 1.58 million acres in Canada, about 40% above the 10-year average for this point in the year.
Nearly 90% of the acreage burned has been in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, though there are many ongoing blazes in British Columbia and Alberta as well, where some evacuations are underway. Eight firefighters were trapped near Chipewyan Lake in northern Alberta Thursday as fires became more volatile amid hot, dry conditions and strong, shifting winds, CBC reported.
In Saskatchewan, about 250,000 acres have burned during each of the past two days. About 430,000 acres—an area twice the size of New York City—have burned in Manitoba since Sunday alone.
Manitoba has already seen about four times the average acres burned for this time of year, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center.
The smoke plume from fires in the region covered over half a million square miles on Thursday, which is double the size of Texas.
The wildfires have erupted during an unusually hot period for the regions, with temperatures running as much as 15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit above average. Both provinces have also seen dry conditions this spring, including some moderate levels of drought.
Hazardous smoke streaming across the border
Computer models show smoke from the western Canadian blazes will continue to spread into the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes throughout the weekend, potentially affecting the cities of Green Bay, Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Chicago and Detroit.
The smoke will likely be in the lower to middle levels of the atmosphere, which could decrease visibility and crater air quality in some areas.
Authorities in Minnesota issued an air quality alert for the northern half of the state, warning that fine particle levels are expected to reach 'a level considered unhealthy for everyone.' A similar alert is in effect throughout Michigan and Wisconsin for Friday into Saturday morning.
Minnesota's Arrowhead region had the poorest air quality in the nation on Friday morning due to the smoke.
Some of the mid-and-low-level smoke could linger through the weekend in parts of the Midwest, according to the National Weather Service.
High-level smoke – which doesn't affect air quality – has spread across the Northern Plains, shielding the sun slightly and potentially creating vibrant sunrises and sunsets.
More smoky days could be ahead for millions this summer.
Canada's seasonal wildfire forecast called for well above-average blazes, and much of the western US, too, will have above-normal wildfire potential by July, according to National Interagency Fire Center forecasts.