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Winnipeg Free Press

Fire threat triggers mandatory evacuation order for northern community's 300 residents

About 300 residents of a northern Manitoba community were ordered to leave their homes by 1 p.m. Tuesday because of an out-of-control wildfire, while evacuees from a First Nation were relieved to be finally headed home. A mandatory evacuation order was issued for Cormorant, about 70 kilometres northeast of The Pas, after residents were told late Monday night to begin packing a bag. 'It's scary because the fire is so close,' said Marie Lavallee, who was readying her six children before they had to leave. 'We're on the edge of town where there's forest.' MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Alberteen Spence of Tataskweyak Cree Nation is among a group of evacuees told to be ready to return home Thursday. In a social-media post, Cormorant's council said provincial crews were mobilizing to battle the blaze, which was northwest of the unincorporated community. Heavy equipment was being trucked in to create a fire break. 'Your safety is our priority. Please remain calm,' the post said. Cormorant announced a two-hour evacuation notice Monday night, telling residents to prepare and listen for a fire-truck siren and alerts delivered by megaphone if a mandatory evacuation order was necessary. Residents were told to meet at a school before leaving Tuesday afternoon. People who did not have transportation of their own were boarding Winnipeg-bound buses. The fire was detected Monday, following a lightning strike, as per the Manitoba Wildfire Service. The blaze grew to at least 422 hectares the first day. The province's online map displayed 126 active fires at about midday Tuesday. Of those, 26 were classified as out of control. Lavallee had trouble sleeping Monday night after residents were told to prepare to leave within two hours, if necessary. She left her window open in case officials went door-to-door to announce an evacuation. 'I didn't get very much sleep,' she told the Free Press by phone at about 11 a.m. 'It's smoky today. It's just a light haze.' Lavallee has lived in Cormorant since she was six years old. She has never been through a wildfire evacuation. She said she hopes to stay with family or friends in The Pas. She doesn't want her family to stay in a congregate shelter in Winnipeg alongside dozens or hundreds of other evacuees. In May, she ran a sprinkler outside her house as a precaution while a wildfire burned in the Clearwater Lake area nearby. Cormorant was shrouded in heavy smoke at the time. 'That one was scary. The sky just turned black, and it was spooky,' Lavallee said. 'It was like something out of a horror movie.' Meanwhile, Tataskweyak Cree Nation (Split Lake) announced Monday night that evacuees have started returning, about two months after they were forced out. 'It's very good news this week. We're happy to announce today that people are now going home, and I know some people are already at home,' Chief Doreen Spence said in a Facebook Live video Monday night. A mandatory evacuation order was issued May 30, a day after a wildfire was detected near the community, which is home to about 2,400 people. At least seven homes were destroyed July 4 when flames swept into Tataskweyak, northeast of Thompson. At more than 25,000 hectares, the blaze was still classified as out of control Tuesday. The fire was caused by human activity, as per the Manitoba Wildfire Service. SUPPLIED During a wildfire update Tuesday, the Town of Snow Lake said ground and aerial crews contained several flare-ups, and continued to extinguish hot spots near the town and mining areas. Evacuee Alberteen Spence, who has stayed in hotels in Niagara Falls, Ont., and Winnipeg, said she was relieved by news of the repatriation. 'I'm a little bit apprehensive because we don't know what we are going home to,' she said. 'Large sections of the bush have been burned. They told us it doesn't look the same.' Evacuees are returning to Tataskweyak in stages. Alberteen Spence said she is among a group that was told to be ready to return Thursday. Residents were told to throw out food and other contents in their refrigerators and freezers due to multiple power outages. 'That's another thing I've been thinking about,' Alberteen Spence said. '(Food) is going to be rotten.' Doreen Spence said a planeload of evacuees, who stayed in hotels in Niagara Falls, Ont., flew to Thompson on Monday, with a second flight scheduled Tuesday. Tataskweyak attempted a repatriation in mid-June, but it was put on hold because the community's water treatment plant malfunctioned. The fire flared about two weeks later, destroying some homes. Doreen Spence said another round of water-quality testing will take place once another new pump installed. When they return home, residents should run their hot water until it gets cold about three times, she said. Tuesdays A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world. Elsewhere in northern Manitoba, work continues to contain fires in the Thompson area, the city said in a social-media post. Other than hot spots that are being extinguished, 'there is no further fire' in Leaf Rapids, the town said in a separate post. Last week, one normally occupied house was damaged when winds blew flames into the community. The Town of Snow Lake said ground and aerial crews contained several flare-ups, and continued to extinguish hot spots near the town and mining areas. Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a warning for a majority of Manitoba, including Winnipeg, on Tuesday because smoke was causing poor air quality and reduced visibility. 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. 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