Latest news with #CranberryPortage
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 days ago
- Climate
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Thousands Evacuated in 3 Provinces as Canadian Wildfires Threaten Air Quality Into Some US States
More than 25,000 residents in three provinces have been evacuated as dozens of wildfires remained active Sunday and diminished air quality in parts of Canada and the US, according to officials. Most of the evacuated residents were from Manitoba, which declared a state of emergency last week. About 17,000 people there were evacuated by Saturday along with 1,300 in Alberta. About 8,000 people in Saskatchewan had been relocated as leaders there warned the number could climb. Smoke was worsening air quality and reducing visibility in Canada and into some US states along the border. 'Air quality and visibility due to wildfire smoke can fluctuate over short distances and can vary considerably from hour to hour,' Saskatchewan's Public Safety Agency warned Sunday. 'As smoke levels increase, health risks increase.' Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said ongoing hot, dry weather is allowing some fires to grow and threaten communities, and resources to fight the fires and support the evacuees are stretched thin. '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,' Moe said at a Saturday news conference. In Manitoba, more than 5,000 of those evacuated are from Flin Flon, located nearly 645 kilometers (400 miles) northwest of the provincial capital of Winnipeg. In northern Manitoba, fire knocked out power to the community of Cranberry Portage, forcing a mandatory evacuation order Saturday for about 600 residents. The fire menacing Flin Flon began a week ago near Creighton, Saskatchewan, and quickly jumped the boundary into Manitoba. Crews have struggled to contain it. Water bombers have been intermittently grounded due to heavy smoke and a drone incursion. 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. In some parts of the US, air quality reached 'unhealthy' levels Sunday in North Dakota and small swaths of Montana, Minnesota and South Dakota, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency's AirNow page. 'We should expect at least a couple more rounds of Canadian smoke to come through the US over the next week,' said Bryan Jackson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in the US. Separately, a fire in the US border state of Idaho burned at least 100 acres (40 hectares) as of Sunday, prompting road closures and some evacuations, according to the Idaho Department of Lands. The agency said in a news release that at least one structure was burned, but did not provide additional details about the damage. Strong gusty winds of 15 to 20 mph (24 to 32 kph) and steep terrain were making it difficult for firefighters battling the fire, which ignited Saturday. Evacuation centers have opened across Manitoba for those fleeing the fires, one as far south as Winkler, 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the US border. Winnipeg opened up public buildings for evacuees as it deals with hotels already crammed with other fire refugees, vacationers, business people and convention-goers. Manitoba's Indigenous leaders said Saturday at a news conference that hotel rooms in the cities where evacuees are arriving are full, and they called on the government to direct hotel owners to give evacuees priority. Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson said it was one of the largest evacuations in the province since the 1990s. 'It's really sad to see our children having to sleep on floors. People are sitting, waiting in hallways, waiting outside, and right now we just need people to come together. People are tired,' Wilson said at a news conference. Canada's wildfire season runs from May through September. Its worst-ever wildfire season was in 2023. It choked much of North America with dangerous smoke for months.
National Post
2 days ago
- Climate
- National Post
Worsening wildfires prompt more evacuations in northern Manitoba
More people in northern Manitoba were told to leave their homes Saturday, and Saskatchewan's premier warned the number of evacuees in his province will likely climb as wildfires continued to threaten communities and send thick smoke into the air. Article content Article content The roughly 600 residents of Cranberry Portage in northwestern Manitoba were placed under a mandatory evacuation order because fire had knocked out power to the community — a situation expected to last for days. Article content Article content People in a few smaller communities nearby were put on a two-hour evacuation notice after a fire jumped across a highway. Article content Article content An evacuation of Pimicikamak Cree Nation in Manitoba, which started earlier in the week, ramped up further on Saturday. Officials were expecting five flights to leave for Winnipeg by the end of the day. Article content 'The wildfire has crossed the main road, and the area remains filled with smoke and ash,' Chief David Monias wrote on Facebook. Article content Manitoba's Indigenous leaders, including Monias, told a news conference on Saturday that hotel rooms in the cities where evacuees are arriving are full, and they called for politicians like Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Wab Kinew to issue a directive to hotel owners to give evacuees priority. Article content Article content Article content In Flin Flon, Man., where the city's 5,000 residents had already been evacuated, an out-of-control fire continued to burn very close to the community. There were no structure fires as of Saturday morning, but officials were worried a shift in the wind could bring flames right into the city.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Climate
- The Independent
17,000 people evacuated from homes as Canadian wildfires continue
Approximately 17,000 residents have been evacuated from their homes as wildfires rage across the Canadian province of Manitoba. The mass evacuations are a result of nearly two dozen active wildfires spreading across the province. Among those displaced, over 5,000 people are from Flin Flon, a city located roughly 645 kilometers (400 miles) northwest of Winnipeg, the provincial capital. The immediate forecast offers no hope of rain, exacerbating concerns that a shift in wind direction could bring the fire into the town, although there have been no structure fires in the city as of Saturday morning. Manitoba declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, as fires burning from the northwest to the southeast prompted evacuations in several communities. The province is located directly north of the US states of Minnesota and North Dakota, and smoke from the fires is being pushed south, causing air quality to deteriorate in some parts of the US. Other provinces have also been affected, with thousands displaced by wildfires in Saskatchewan and Alberta. In the community of Swan Hills, northwest of Edmonton, 1,300 people have been forced to evacuate. In northern Manitoba, a fire knocked out power to the community of Cranberry Portage, leading to a mandatory evacuation order for approximately 600 residents on Saturday. People living in smaller nearby communities have been told to prepare for potential evacuation as a fire jumped a highway. 'Please start getting ready and making plans to stay with family and friends as accommodations are extremely limited,' Lori Forbes, the emergency coordinator for the Rural Municipality of Kelsey, posted on social media. Evacuation centers have opened across the province for those fleeing the fires, including one as far south as Winkler, Manitoba, 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the US border. Evacuations that started earlier in the week for Pimicikamak Cree Nation ramped up Saturday, when five flights were expected to take residents to Winnipeg. 'The wildfire has crossed the main road, and the area remains filled with smoke and ash,' Chief David Monias wrote on social media. Winnipeg has opened up public buildings for evacuees as it deals with hotels already crammed with other fire refugees, vacationers, business people and convention-goers. The fire menacing Flin Flon began Monday near Creighton, Saskatchewan, and quickly jumped the boundary into Manitoba. Crews have struggled to contain it. Water bombers have been intermittently grounded due to heavy smoke and a drone incursion. The 1,200 or so residents of Creighton have also been ordered out, many of whom have gone to nearby Nipawin, Saskatchewan. In total, more than 8,000 people have fled wildfires in Saskatchewan. Canada 's wildfire season runs from May through September. Its worst-ever wildfire season was in 2023. It choked much of North America with dangerous smoke for months.
Globe and Mail
3 days ago
- Climate
- Globe and Mail
Manitoba evacuates hundreds more as wildfires rage in Western Canada
Hundreds of new evacuations were ordered Saturday in Manitoba as raging wildfires in Western Canada have already forced thousands of people to leave their homes. Residents of Cranberry Portage in the rural municipality of Kelsey, Man., close to the Saskatchewan border, were ordered to head toward Winnipeg, where more than 17,000 evacuees from other areas in the province are already being housed in arenas and soccer fields converted into shelters. Both Manitoba and Saskatchewan declared provincewide states of emergency earlier this week. Saskatchewan declares state of emergency as wildfires force evacuations in western and central Canada Lori Forbes, co-ordinator for the Kelsey area, where more than 430 people live, said a large fire has knocked down many hydro lines. She urged residents to pack kits and drive toward safety by Saturday afternoon, as gas and other supplies in the region, 600 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, are running out. She urged residents to stay in safer zones with friends and family if possible. 'Power may be out in the Cranberry Portage area for multiple days,' she wrote on social media. A spokesperson for Manitoba Hydro said it was hard to determine when power will be restored in Cranberry Portage. 'It's still an area of active wildfires, so we can't safely access the area,' said Peter Chura in a statement. More than 180 wildfires were burning across Canada on Saturday, with dozens spanning from northwestern Ontario through to large regions of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, along with northern areas in Alberta and British Columbia. At least 90 of those are considered out of control and six new fires have started since Friday. The situation this week has been so severe that Manitoba was forced to call upon the Canadian Armed Forces to rescue residents from several communities. The province is contending with at least 25 active wildfires, with 106 in total this year. Before this week, the 20-year average for the region was 78 annual fires. Near Cranberry Portage, in Flin Flon, Man., more than 5,000 residents have left the mining city, with only firefighters and a few officials staying behind. Many patients have been transferred to Saskatchewan-area hospitals, while most of the evacuees are now staying in Winnipeg. Officials worry the wind in the area may shift in the wrong direction over the weekend, bringing the out-of-control flames right into Flin Flon, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said late Friday. 'Please pray for rain,' he said. Wildfires force thousands to flee homes in Western Canada At least five more planes, including two military aircraft, are expected to transport evacuees from Pimicikamak Cree Nation in Pukatawagan, Man., on Saturday, said Chief David Monias. Wildfires have left that community's nearest airport non-operational, forcing residents to rely on the few roads that can lead them to a ferry toward Norway House Cree Nation, about 800 kilometres north of Winnipeg, where they are departing on flights. 'This is the most unstable and unpredictable situation I have ever been in,' Mr. Monias said in an interview Saturday. 'The smoke here is so thick, and conditions are so bad, we're actually having trouble even with the planes.' People from two more areas in Manitoba that were ordered to evacuate Friday – around Bakers Narrows in the north and Bissett in the east – began to arrive Saturday in the province's reception centres. Others in the northern region - Pimicikamak Cree Nation, Cross Lake, Norway House and Mathias Colomb First Nation in Pukatawagan - are also being evacuated. The province, with the support of Red Cross, opened a handful of large evacuation shelters in Winnipeg this week. As of Saturday, however, it is now opening spaces in other areas as well, including Winkler and Brandon. In Saskatchewan, 16 fires were actively burning Saturday, seven of which were uncontained. The province has recorded 211 wildfires this year – well over its five-year annual average of 128 and the 169 fires recorded this time last year. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has ordered evacuations for the communities around Pelican Narrows, Hall Lake, Brabant Lake, Canoe Lake, Lower Fishing Lake, Piprell Lake, East Trout Lake, Little Bear Lake, Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation and Whiteswan Bay. Residents of other communities have also been told to be ready to flee at a moment's notice this weekend. In northern Ontario, roughly 400 people from Webequie First Nation were being transported Saturday to Barrie, Ont., as the province faced 14 active wildfires, three of which were newly discovered Friday. Warnings about extreme smoke in the air have been issued in most of Alberta this week. There were at least 53 active wildfires as of Saturday morning, with 29 deemed out of control. Evacuations in the province are taking place near Chipewyan Lake, Red Earth Creek, Loon Lake, Peerless Lake and Trout Lake. B.C. grappled with at least 63 wildfires, with more than half out of control – mostly in the northeast. Rural communities were being evacuated in the Peace River Regional District, where the fire quickly quadrupled in size within a single day this week.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Climate
- The Independent
Wildfires burning across central Canada force additional evacuation orders and more shelters to open
Roughly 17,000 residents in the Canadian province of Manitoba have been evacuated because of nearly two dozen active wildfires, officials said Saturday. More than 5,000 of those are from Flin Flon, where there is no rain in the immediate forecast. There have been no structure fires in the city located nearly 645 kilometers (400 miles) northwest of the provincial capital of Winnipeg as of Saturday morning, but officials worry that a change in wind direction could bring the fire into town. Manitoba declared a state of emergency on Wednesday as the fires burning from the northwest to the southeast forced evacuations in several communities in the province directly north of the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota. Smoke from the fires is being pushed south into some parts of the U.S., worsening air quality. Thousands have also been affected by wildfires in Saskatchewan and Alberta, with 1,300 people in the community of Swan Hills northwest of Edmonton forced from their homes. In northern Manitoba, fire knocked out power to the community of Cranberry Portage, forcing a mandatory evacuation order Saturday for about 600 residents. People living in smaller nearby communities were told to prepare to evacuate after a fire jumped a highway. 'Please start getting ready and making plans to stay with family and friends as accommodations are extremely limited,' Lori Forbes, the emergency coordinator for the Rural Municipality of Kelsey, posted on social media. Evacuation centers have opened across the province for those fleeing the fires, including one as far south as Winkler, Manitoba, 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the U.S. border. Evacuations that started earlier in the week for Pimicikamak Cree Nation ramped up Saturday, when five flights were expected to take residents to Winnipeg. 'The wildfire has crossed the main road, and the area remains filled with smoke and ash,' Chief David Monias wrote on social media. Winnipeg has opened up public buildings for evacuees as it deals with hotels already crammed with other fire refugees, vacationers, business people and convention-goers. The fire menacing Flin Flon began Monday near Creighton, Saskatchewan, and quickly jumped the boundary into Manitoba. Crews have struggled to contain it. Water bombers have been intermittently grounded due to heavy smoke and a drone incursion. The 1,200 or so residents of Creighton have also been ordered out, many of whom have gone to nearby Nipawin, Saskatchewan. In total, more than 8,000 people have fled wildfires in Saskatchewan. Canada's wildfire season runs from May through September. Its worst-ever wildfire season was in 2023. It choked much of North America with dangerous smoke for months.
