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CBC
13-06-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Hundreds of Manitoba wildfire evacuees heading home on weekend
Two weeks after being forced from their communities by wildfire threats, hundreds of Manitobans will soon be going home. "We are allowing folks to re-enter Cranberry Portage starting at 8 a.m. [Saturday] morning, so that's very exciting news for all the folks there that have been evacuated," said Lori Forbes, emergency co-ordinator for the rural municipality of Kelsey in northwestern Manitoba. "I'm just so happy that they can go home. They want to stop eating out. They want to quit paying for hotel rooms. People want to get back to work, just get back to their everyday routine." Close to 440 people were ordered out of the community, about 35 kilometres southeast of Flin Flon, on May 31. Power was lost as fires consumed hydro poles in the region and roads were at risk of being closed, which would limit fuel and food supplies or even trap residents. The decision was made the clear out the community. The majority of evacuees fled to Winnipeg, while some went to The Pas, which is much closer. Forbes said provincial fire officials have told her they have a good handle on the fires and feel Cranberry Portage is no longer at any risk. "Power has since been restored and is very stable, [and] all those burned power poles in the fires that kind of surrounded Cranberry Portage have been repaired," she said. "Manitoba Hydro just jumps so fast to these emergencies. They do an amazing job." She's encouraging people to stop in The Pas to get groceries on their way back. The closest centre for big grocery runs is Flin Flon, but that city is still under evacuation, "so that's clearly not going to be [an option]," Forbes said. The town of Snow Lake and community of Sherridon are also set to welcome people back on Saturday at 8 a.m. "We're very pleased to say that we dodged a very big bullet here. Everyone's homes are still here, their businesses are still here," Snow Lake Mayor Ron Scott said Friday. That evacuation order was first put in place three days after the community, about 590 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, declared a local state of emergency as strong winds fuelled the massive Flin Flon blaze and pushed it toward the town, clogging the air with smoke. The town has about 1,100 permanent residents, and there is also a camp that houses 400-450 employees of the Hudbay Minerals mine. "We had a large crew of volunteers that stayed behind and did an enormous amount of work to get the town prepared for whatever nature might throw at us," Scott said Friday. "Now that the fires have laid down low, we're not 100 per cent out of the woods, but it's been judged that things are safe now." Due to all of that work — clearing brush and trees, improving the firefighting equipment (sprinklers, pumps, hoses) and bringing in materials to better protect structures — "the town and the main employers are actually in much better shape now going forward to deal with whatever happens for the rest of the summer," Scott said. "It's going to feel good to get everybody back and get back to normal operations." The notice about the return was posted on Snow Lake's Facebook page Friday morning after a council meeting, Scott said. Returnees are being asked to stock up on groceries and other essential supplies before going back. Everyone must maintain a prepared go-bag in the event things take a turn and the town needs to be evacuated again. Residents are also being advised that the town office will be closed on June 16 to allow staff time to catch up on things from the past week. Sheryl Matheson, the deputy mayor of Sherridon, posted on that community's Facebook page that the evacuation order is being lifted and re-entry being allowed. "Critical infrastructure has not been impacted but it is recommended to run all house taps for five minutes to flush the water lines. Ensure you run both cold and hot taps," the notice says. People may also encounter debris in their yards, spoiled food in their fridges and freezers and possible water in their homes as collateral damage from the fire fight, the post says. Nearly 21,000 people in total have been registered with the Canadian Red Cross as Manitoba wildfire evacuees. As of Thursday, there were 21 active wildfires in Manitoba, including nine classified as out of control, the province said. There has been a total of 116 wildfires in Manitoba to date, above the average of 107 total for this time of year. Of those 116, 103 were caused by people, eight were sparked by natural causes and five are under investigation, the province's fire situation report says. The fires have consumed 829,967 hectares.
Winnipeg Free Press
11-06-2025
- Climate
- Winnipeg Free Press
Cranberry Portage residents to return home Saturday; Ontario out of room for Manitoba fire evacuees
A northern community evacuated due to wildfire has been deemed safe for residents to return this weekend, while Ontario has stopped accepting evacuees from Manitoba after welcoming thousands to Niagara Falls. Residents of Cranberry Portage, about 600 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, were told late Wednesday afternoon they can begin returning at 8 a.m. Saturday — two weeks after a mandatory evacuation order was issued — based on guidance from an incident command centre. 'They're certainly saying to us, at this time, that (Cranberry Portage evacuees) are safe to return home,' said Lori Forbes, the Rural Municipality of Kelsey's emergency co-ordinator. 'I know people are going to be very excited to go home.' She said 323 evacuees registered with her, but the total number will be higher because she doesn't have access to electronic registrations. About 438 people registered when Cranberry Portage was evacuated due to wildfire in May 2024. The Manitoba Wildfire Service said a blaze that began south of the community on May 27 was still out of control and about 4,920 hectares in size. The fire was caused by human activity. Forbes said recent rain and higher humidity levels helped crews. 'They've been able to do a little more ground work to get (fire) lines in place and stop the movement of fires,' she said. Some other evacuated communities have started preparing re-entry plans for evacuees, who are scattered across Manitoba and some locations out of province. Tataskweyak Cree Nation Chief Doreen Spence said 60 more evacuees from her community were scheduled to fly from Thompson to Hamilton Monday night, but an Indigenous Service Canada official told her a few hours before take-off that the flight was cancelled. 'They said (Ontario) is at capacity right now. They wouldn't be accepting anymore Manitobans,' Spence said about the arrangement between governments. An Ontario government spokesperson, speaking on background, said the intake of Manitoba evacuees was paused while Sandy Lake First Nation, in northwestern Ontario, was rapidly evacuated due to a fire that doubled in size within hours over the weekend. About 2,300 Manitobans are staying in Niagara Falls. The spokesperson said Ontario will continue to work closely with Manitoba and the federal government to provide available supports. With official evacuation flights to Ontario halted, some Tataskweyak residents who did not have their own accommodation in Thompson were taken by bus from that city to a shelter in Sagkeeng First Nation and hotels in Winnipeg on Wednesday. Last week, the Manitoba government confirmed the decision to send some evacuees out of province was made jointly with the federal government. The province said last week that 1,500 hotel rooms were secured in Niagara Falls, with about 800 occupied. 'We're hoping to bring them home soon, especially the ones in Ontario. They're disconnected from their families and their support systems.'–Brenda Frogg Spence said close to 700 Tataskweyak residents were taken to Ontario after the community began an evacuation May 29 due to an out-of-control fire nearby. About 70 to 80 essential workers, including Spence, remain in Tataskweyak, which has a population of about 2,600 and is approximately 770 kilometres north of Winnipeg. Threatened by a separate fire, Pimicikamak Cree Nation (Cross Lake) also learned this week Ontario is no longer accepting Manitoba evacuees, said Coun. Brenda Frogg, who helped co-ordinate flights. It was her understanding that Ontario was overcapacity. About 300 Pimicikamak residents have been taken to Niagara Falls since the northern community issued a mandatory evacuation order May 28, she said. Lori Osborne, one of Pimicikamak's estimated 7,500 evacuees, stayed in Niagara Falls with her boyfriend and four children until they had to return to Winnipeg Tuesday due to a family emergency in Manitoba. 'I felt like I was not even an evacuee,' she said of the experience, which included sightseeing of the falls and visits to tourist attractions. Some evacuees from Mathias Colomb Cree Nation (Pukatawagan) and Marcel Colomb First Nation (Black Sturgeon) were also moved to Niagara Falls. The Canadian Red Cross had registered more than 20,500 evacuees provincewide as of Monday. The agency said more than 1,600 hotel rooms in Winnipeg were secured. Spence said some Tataskweyak evacuees in Winnipeg had to move to different hotels because of limited room availability at some locations. Spence and Frogg said it is not yet known when evacuees from Pimicikamak or Tataskweyak will be allowed home. 'We're hoping to bring them home soon, especially the ones in Ontario. They're disconnected from their families and their support systems,' Frogg, a nurse, said by phone from Pimicikamak, where she was providing nursing cover for essential workers who remain in the community. Pimicikamak and Flin Flon are among evacuated communities that have started discussing or developing phased re-entry plans. 'We are as prepared as we can be, and we will continue to be vigilant.'–Bissett Mayor Carla Nicholson-Spence Evacuees were told it will likely be some time before it is safe to return to areas where fires still pose a danger, and essential and safety services are not yet restored. Spence said fire-damaged Manitoba Hydro infrastructure near Tataskweyak has to be repaired. The Manitoba government reported 25 active wildfires on Wednesday. Nine were out of control, including a blaze that stretched from Bird River to Bissett, in eastern Manitoba. The fire, which started May 12 and is known as EA061, covered about 218,700 hectares, including parts of Nopiming Provincial Park. Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. Bissett Mayor Carla Nicholson-Spence said all efforts have been taken to protect the evacuated community, which is home to about 110 people. She said Bissett residents are grateful to those who've contributed to the effort, including staff from multiple provincial departments, the local fire department and Beausejour Brokenhead Fire Department. U.S. firefighters were deployed to the Bissett area this week. Residents have provided accommodations and meals for essential workers, and helped to ensure a water plan remains operational. 'Our hopes are that these continued efforts from wildfire services will contain this fire and allow us to go home,' Nicholson-Spence wrote in an email. 'We are as prepared as we can be, and we will continue to be vigilant and ready to meet this threat as safely as we are able to do so.' Chris KitchingReporter Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris. Every piece of reporting Chris produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
10-06-2025
- Climate
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘It's a slower day': Flin Flon mayor
Favourable weather conditions and suppression efforts are helping firefighters make some progress or hold the line against some large, out-of-control fires in Manitoba. The largest blaze — about 307,781 hectares, or roughly seven times the size of Winnipeg, is burning close to several communities or areas in Manitoba, including Flin Flon and Sherridon, and across the border in Saskatchewan. 'It's a slower day,' Flin Flon Mayor George Fontaine said. 'It's not one of those big windy days, so it's giving people a chance to reorganize.' Officially known as fire WE017, the blaze was previously estimated to be about 140 kilometres long and five kilometres wide. Some fires in northern and eastern Manitoba have been burning for more than three weeks. The Manitoba Wildfire Service reported 25 active blazes Tuesday afternoon, down from 29 Monday. A provincewide state of emergency is in place until at least June 26. About 21,000 evacuees have registered with the Canadian Red Cross, making it one of the largest evacuations in Manitoba history. Parts of Whiteshell Provincial Park are scheduled to reopen to permanent residents, cottagers and commercial operators Wednesday. Fire EA063, situated along the Manitoba-Ontario boundary, remains out of control, but suppression efforts are holding the line, the province said. Crowduck Lake and Big Whiteshell lake will reopen at 8 a.m. Florence Lake, Nora Lake and Ophir Siding will reopen at 4 p.m. The areas have been closed since May 15. The province cautioned that anyone returning to the reopened areas should be prepared to leave again with little notice. The Mantario wilderness zone, including the Mantario Trail and Caddy Lake Tunnels, are still closed. Northeast Manitoba's fire danger was high to extreme, while low to moderate danger was reported throughout the rest of the province. A chance of rain in the North was good news, but it brought an increased risk of new fire starts due to lightning strikes. Manitoba's largest blaze, fire WE017, was burning north and west of Snow Lake, where a mandatory evacuation order went into effect Saturday. In a Facebook post, the town said Tuesday poor air quality, egress and medical resources factored into the decision to evacuate. The fire was about 30 kilometres from the town as of Tuesday morning, the post said. Crews have been clearing brush near assets including a hospital and wastewater treatment plant, and problem areas. Lori Forbes, the Rural Municipality of Kelsey's emergency co-ordinator, said higher humidity levels helped crews made good progress on a fire, known as WE023, north of Wanless. 'That doesn't mean these fires are changing. The ones that are keeping people out of their communities, they're still out of control,' she said. Fire WE023, measuring about 4,920 hectares, forced the evacuation of Cranberry Portage. Manitoba's firefighting effort was again bolstered by reinforcements from south of the border. Weekday Mornings A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day. About 107 personnel, primarily wildland firefighters, were scheduled to arrive from the U.S. Tuesday to bring the total to about 282, said Tina Boehle, a spokeswoman for the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. Reinforcements were arriving from Colorado, Oregon, South Dakota and Utah. Five elite U.S. Hotshot crews were fighting various fires in Manitoba Tuesday. Hotshot crews are typically assigned to the most challenging terrain or priority wildfires in the U.S. 'They can be self-sufficient for multiple days on the ground,' Boehle said. 'Usually, they deal with some pretty tough situations down here.' Chris KitchingReporter Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris. Every piece of reporting Chris produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Drizzle in northern Manitoba not enough to quench wildfires as community leaders hope for downpour
As evacuees fleeing wildfires in northern Manitoba watched rain fall in parts of the province on Sunday, community leaders are warning the north needs heavier downpour to help firefighters on the ground. Lori Forbes, emergency co-ordinator for the Rural Municipality of Kelsey, said Sunday's rain didn't fall where it was needed most. "We did get the rain in The Pas but we need the rain in the north. We need the rain where the fires are to help the firefighters," Forbes said. She said The Pas was about 100 kilometres away from the fire on Sunday afternoon. According to the province's most recent fire bulletin on Sunday, the wildfire near Sherridon is more than 300,000 hectares in size and is still out of control. "The further north you went, the less rain there was," Forbes said. The eight-degree temperatures are helping fire crews, she said, but it's windy and the weather is "changing very quickly." Flin Flon Mayor George Fontaine said he has been staying with his son in Winnipeg since the northern Manitoba city was evacuated nearly two weeks ago. Fontaine told CBC News that Saturday was a cooler day with calmer winds, allowing crews to wet down areas near the town and put out some hot spots. However, the weather and fire behaviour has been unpredictable, he said. "I don't know that we can say what's going to happen, but I'm hoping for rain, I'll tell you that," Fontaine said from Winnipeg, as a heavy downpour was hitting the pavement just before 4 p.m. CT. "Well, if they got there, what we're getting here today, that would be a lovely thing," he said. Sheryl Matheson, Sherridon's deputy mayor and president of Northern Association of Community Councils, said there was light rain in the area that caused a lot of smoke. "It wasn't a significant amount of rain that was coming down. It needs to turn into more of a downpour," she said. She said the drizzle has been keeping the ground wet, but it isn't enough to help crews battling the fire. "We're praying for a downpour," Matheson said. Find the latest wildfire information at these sources: Are you an evacuee who needs assistance? Contact Manitoba 211 by calling 211 from anywhere in Manitoba or email 211mb@
CBC
08-06-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Drizzle in northern Manitoba not enough to quench wildfires as community leaders hope for downpour
Social Sharing As evacuees fleeing wildfires in northern Manitoba watched rain fall in parts of the province on Sunday, community leaders are warning the north needs heavier downpour to help firefighters on the ground. Lori Forbes, emergency co-ordinator for the Rural Municipality of Kelsey, said Sunday's rain didn't fall where it was needed most. "We did get the rain in The Pas but we need the rain in the north. We need the rain where the fires are to help the firefighters," Forbes said. She said The Pas was about 100 kilometres away from the fire on Sunday afternoon. According to the province's most recent fire bulletin on Sunday, the wildfire near Sherridon is more than 300,000 hectares in size and is still out of control. "The further north you went, the less rain there was," Forbes said. The eight-degree temperatures are helping fire crews, she said, but it's windy and the weather is "changing very quickly." Flin Flon Mayor George Fontaine said he has been staying with his son in Winnipeg since the northern Manitoba city was evacuated nearly two weeks ago. Fontaine told CBC News that Saturday was a cooler day with calmer winds, allowing crews to wet down areas near the town and put out some hot spots. However, the weather and fire behaviour has been unpredictable, he said. "I don't know that we can say what's going to happen, but I'm hoping for rain, I'll tell you that," Fontaine said from Winnipeg, as a heavy downpour was hitting the pavement just before 4 p.m. CT. "Well, if they got there, what we're getting here today, that would be a lovely thing," he said. Sheryl Matheson, Sherridon's deputy mayor and president of Northern Association of Community Councils, said there was light rain in the area that caused a lot of smoke. "It wasn't a significant amount of rain that was coming down. It needs to turn into more of a downpour," she said. She said the drizzle has been keeping the ground wet, but it isn't enough to help crews battling the fire. "We're praying for a downpour," Matheson said.
