Latest news with #MathiasColombCreeNation
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Military steps in to help airlift some Pukatawagan residents out of harm's way
Since an evacuation order was issued on Wednesday due to a wildfire affecting the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, also known as Pukatawagan, thousands of people have been waiting to be flown out. Military aircraft flew residents out over the weekend to The Pas, Man., from where 120 evacuees were able to take a Via Rail train to Winnipeg on Sunday.
CBC
a day ago
- General
- CBC
Mathias Colomb Cree Nation chief says more support is needed for evacuees
Helicopters safely brought hundreds of people from Mathias Colomb Cree Nation— also known as Pukatawagan— to The Pas on Saturday, but hundreds remained in the community as of Saturday evening.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Pukatawagan evacuation ramps up: Larger aircraft arrive as airport reopens
The evacuation of a Manitoba First Nation forced out by wildfires is ramping up with larger aircraft helping out and the reopening of the community's only airport. However, concerns remain about the sheer number of residents still stranded days after they were ordered out. Thousands of people have been waiting to be flown out from Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, also known as Pukatawagan, since the mandatory evacuation order came on Wednesday. Smoke from out-of-control wildfires shut down the community's only airstrip on Thursday. With some aircraft limited to groups of between six and 13 people since then, officials in the community had said it would take days before the evacuation would be complete. The airport reopened on Saturday morning after the smoke cleared enough to allow aircraft to land, Chief Gordie Bear told CBC News. WATCH | Helicopters for Pukatawagan evacuees land in The Pas: "We won't leave you behind, but you gotta wait in line then so that we can come out without a stampede, without fighting at the gate to get out," he said. However, the runway in Pukatawagan can only accommodate helicopters and light planes, excluding other military aircraft such as the Hercules that can handle a greater number of people, Bear said. "You can only do so much," he said. The out-control wildfire, first reported Tuesday, was 9,785 hectares in size and about a kilometre away from the community as of Thursday, according to the province's wildfire map. Double-rotor Chinook helicopters from the Canadian Forces were flying evacuees from Pukatawagan roughly 210 kilometres south to The Pas on Saturday. Bear said about 500 residents were expected to be evacuated during the 10-hour window limiting flight crews are timed out for the day and operations resume on Sunday morning. "It's very hard to speak for everybody in general, but nobody wants to leave," Bear said. "This is not a vacation, they are going into a different environment." The evacuation is also bringing the trauma some residential school survivors endured after being forcefully removed from their community as he was, Bear said. However, the threat of the wildfire, combined with the smoke-filled air and a power outage means everyone must leave, Bear said. Opaskwayak Cree Nation set up a centre for evacuees to help them transition into more permanent shelters in southern Manitoba, including Winnipeg and Brandon, said Diane Pelly, executive director for government services in the community. "There's nowhere here in the north … to accommodate them," she said. "Everybody's really being tested with the supports that are required, and unfortunately, it is relocating to the south." Hundreds of evacuees came from Flin Flon on Wednesday. The next day the centre started welcoming people from Pukatwagan who have been arriving in helicopters at the Clearwater Lake Airport in The Pas. Some evacuees were expected to travel in an emergency VIA Rail train to southern Manitoba on Friday, Pelly said. She was also aware there are also plans to temporarily relocate others to Ontario. But in the process, she said, some families are losing track of relatives, spurring worry during an already stressful situation. "We're doing our very best to move them as quickly as possible," Pelly said. "There's still a large number of individuals that need to be transferred out." Are you an evacuee who needs assistance? Contact Manitoba 211 by calling 211 from anywhere in Manitoba or email 211mb@
CBC
a day ago
- General
- CBC
Pukatawagan evacuation ramps up: Larger aircraft arrive as airport reopens
The evacuation of a Manitoba First Nation forced out by wildfires is ramping up with larger aircraft helping out and the reopening of the community's only airport. However, concerns remain about the sheer number of residents still stranded days after they were ordered out. Thousands of people have been waiting to be flown out from Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, also known as Pukatawagan, since the mandatory evacuation order came on Wednesday. Smoke from out-of-control wildfires shut down the community's only airstrip on Thursday. With some aircraft limited to groups of between six and 13 people since then, officials in the community had said it would take days before the evacuation would be complete. The airport reopened on Saturday morning after the smoke cleared enough to allow aircraft to land, Chief Gordie Bear told CBC News. "We won't leave you behind, but you gotta wait in line then so that we can come out without a stampede, without fighting at the gate to get out," he said. However, the runway in Pukatawagan can only accommodate helicopters and light planes, excluding other military aircraft such as the Hercules that can handle a greater number of people, Bear said. "You can only do so much," he said. The out-control wildfire, first reported Tuesday, was 9,785 hectares in size and about a kilometre away from the community as of Thursday, according to the province's wildfire map. Double-rotor Chinook helicopters from the Canadian Forces were flying evacuees from Pukatawagan roughly 210 kilometres south to The Pas on Saturday. Bear said about 500 residents were expected to be evacuated during the 10-hour window limiting flight crews are timed out for the day and operations resume on Sunday morning. "It's very hard to speak for everybody in general, but nobody wants to leave," Bear said. "This is not a vacation, they are going into a different environment." The evacuation is also bringing the trauma some residential school survivors endured after being forcefully removed from their community as he was, Bear said. However, the threat of the wildfire, combined with the smoke-filled air and a power outage means everyone must leave, Bear said. Opaskwayak Cree Nation set up a centre for evacuees to help them transition into more permanent shelters in southern Manitoba, including Winnipeg and Brandon, said Diane Pelly, executive director for government services in the community. "There's nowhere here in the north … to accommodate them," she said. "Everybody's really being tested with the supports that are required, and unfortunately, it is relocating to the south." Hundreds of evacuees came from Flin Flon on Wednesday. The next day the centre started welcoming people from Pukatwagan who have been arriving in helicopters at the Clearwater Lake Airport in The Pas. Some evacuees were expected to travel in an emergency VIA Rail train to southern Manitoba on Friday, Pelly said. She was also aware there are also plans to temporarily relocate others to Ontario. But in the process, she said, some families are losing track of relatives, spurring worry during an already stressful situation. "We're doing our very best to move them as quickly as possible," Pelly said. "There's still a large number of individuals that need to be transferred out."
CTV News
2 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Armed Forces called in to help evacuate Pukatawagan as wildfire threatens airport
The Canadian Armed Forces were called in to help evacuate a northern Manitoba First Nation community in the path of a wildfire Friday morning. Speaking at a Friday afternoon news conference, Premier Wab Kinew said the province received multiple calls for help from Mathias Colomb Cree Nation (Pukatawagan) as a wildfire was closing in on the community. 'The situation was very, very dangerous and scary,' Kinew said. The premier said the fire near the community was threatening the airport, resulting in 'a desperate need to accelerate the movement of people out of that community.' Canadian Armed Forces helicopters were brought in to perform reconnaissance work and to help evacuate residents through the day Friday. Kinew said the airport was not damaged by the fire, but heavy smoke is complicating emergency efforts in the area. The fire near Pukatawagan is 9,785 hectares and still out-of-control, according to Manitoba's fire map.
