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Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Climate
- Winnipeg Free Press
Snow Lake residents get mandatory evacuation order; premier expresses ‘tremendous gratitude' to firefighters
Snow Lake residents have been ordered to leave the northern Manitoba community by noon Saturday due to an out-of-control wildfire that is burning in the region. The town of about 1,100 residents announced a mandatory evacuation order Friday. 'You must leave because of the danger to your health and safety,' a notice published on the town's Facebook page said. At least three fires have merged to become a massive blaze in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Flin Flon, Sherridon and several other communities in both provinces were previously evacuated. (Manitoba Conservation) A state of local emergency and a 48-hour evacuation notice were previously declared. Mayor Ron Scott previously said a mandatory evacuation would be ordered if the fire moved closer to town. At least three fires have merged to become a massive blaze in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Flin Flon, Sherridon and several other communities in both provinces were previously evacuated. In a Facebook post, the City of Flin Flon said the fire is about 140 kilometres long and five kilometres wide. The province said the fire was more than 307,000 hectares in Manitoba as of Thursday. A team of 260 people is trying to keep the fire out of Flin Flon and Creighton, just across the border in Saskatchewan. No structures had been destroyed in Flin Flon or Creighton as of Thursday night. 'Winds in the area are now blowing from the south, resulting in heavy smoke and fire moving towards the south side of Flin Flon,' the city said. Premier Wab Kinew saluted crews who are protecting communities, including Flin Flon and Sherridon, where teams have been holding flames back for more than a week. 'Hats off, and our tremendous gratitude to the firefighters — the local firefighters, Office of the Fire Commissioner, Wildfire Service — who've been battling these blazes,' he said at an unrelated event Friday. 'Just amazing work happening across the board, and it's happening because people are working together.' About 175 firefighters from across Canada and the U.S. have joined the fight. Mandatory evacuation orders are in place for at least 27 communities in Manitoba, resulting in the displacement of more than 18,000 residents. Many are staying with family or friends, or in hotel rooms. Hundreds of evacuees were flown to southern Ontario to stay in hotels there. Mandatory evacuation orders are in place for at least 27 communities in Manitoba, resulting in the displacement of more than 18,000 residents. More than 350 people were in congregate shelters as of Thursday. Provincial policy aims to get evacuees into hotel rooms rather than shelters, if they have nowhere else to stay. 'For those folks who are still in shelters, it's just a matter of matching them with rooms as they come online,' Kinew said. 'We're seeing about, over the past few days, maybe a couple hundred rooms become available per day.' Wednesdays Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. A handful of northern communities have moved seniors and people with breathing or medical conditions to Winnipeg due to poor air quality. 'We just have to do a balancing act as new medical patients come in from northern Manitoba, because some communities continue to evacuate due to smoke,' Kinew said. 'We have to preserve some (hotel) rooms for people who have accessibility issues or really intense medical needs, while continuing to move people out of the congregate shelters. 'At this point, the big-picture challenge around rooms has largely been addressed, and it's now just about the daily balancing act of triaging people coming in and people who are already in shelters and matching them up with rooms.' — With files from Gabrielle Piché 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
4 days ago
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Fire commissioner lauds work of front-line disaster-response team
As thousands fled wildfires raging in northern Manitoba, members of a specialized disaster response team flew toward the flames. The Manitoba Urban Search and Rescue team, also known as Canadian Task Force Four, are some of the many heroes critical to the provincial wildfire response. They proved their worth last week, while co-ordinating the evacuation of Mathias Colomb First Nation (Pukatawagan), said Manitoba Fire Commissioner Ryan Schenk. 'These are the folks that are on the front lines, working behind the scenes. They are leaving their families, they are leaving their loved ones to make sure people have a home to return to,' Schenk said from The Pas Thursday afternoon. PROVINCE OF MANITOBA Several members of the Manitoba Urban Search and Rescue team flew to Pukatawagan to assist with the mandatory evacuation. The Manitoba Urban Search and Rescue team heads out to Pukatawagan 'They are answering the call.' The task force includes more than 100 members, including engineers, physicians, paramedics and specialists in incident management, logistics, and search and rescue. Manitoba's team is one of six others across Canada and is overseen by the Office of the Fire Commissioner, Schenk said. 'The spirit and intent of these task forces are to essentially be the last line of defence before we are deploying Canadian Armed Forces. These are boots-on-the-ground folks that are decisively engaged in operations and supporting the evacuations,' he said. Buffeted by high winds, heat and thick smoke, several members flew into the remote First Nation after it was placed under mandatory evacuation orders on May 28. Flames had already damaged electrical infrastructure, cutting off power to the community and limiting communications. Their job was to co-ordinate the evacuations of about 2,500 people via an assortment of military planes and helicopters, Schenk said. 'Our folks were leading the landing-zone operations. They had deployed equipment that allowed them to communicate between the aircraft, as well as co-ordinate evacuees,' he said. 'Our team showed great leadership in working alongside the community.' The evacuation of Mathias Colomb has since been completed, the provincial government said in a release. On Tuesday, Chief Gordie Bear said about 50 essential workers, including firefighters, were still in the First Nation. In an update Wednesday, the province said the nearby fire measured 9,785 hectares and was still considered out of control. The mandatory evacuation order remains in effect. Earlier this week, First Nations leaders called on the federal and provincial governments to send more equipment and resources to their communities. PROVINCE OF MANITOBA The Manitoba Urban Search and Rescue team heads to Pukatawagan on May 30. Schenk said an emergency operations centre has been set up in Mathias Colomb, and a fire chief has taken the lead. Weekday Mornings A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day. '(The Office of the Fire Commissioner) will work alongside them to make sure that their needs are being met, resources and infrastructure are being brought in,' he said. 'The one thing I can't do is thank the communities enough for their support. We wouldn't be able to do this without them…. Their leadership contributes to the success, whether its the local-level knowledge or the access to certain limited resources.' Task force members have also been assisting wildfire responses elsewhere in the province. Some are on the ground supporting incident management in Flin Flon and in eastern Manitoba, Schenk said. Part of their role included establishing a 'tent city' near fire lines in Lac du Bonnet, providing accommodations that keep firefighters at the front, he said. Tyler SearleReporter Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press's city desk. A graduate of Red River College Polytechnic's creative communications program, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk Record and Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler. Every piece of reporting Tyler 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.
Global News
21-05-2025
- Global News
RCMP investigating fire at Falcon Lake, Man. cottage
Manitoba RCMP are investigating a fire that engulfed a cottage at Falcon Lake on Tuesday night. Officers were called to the scene at Falcon Lake's Block 11 just before 9 p.m. and found the structure completely ablaze. Local firefighters were able to get the fire under control with the help of the provincial wildfire service. No one was injured in the incident. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Police and the Office of the Fire Commissioner continue to investigate. Anyone with information is asked to call Falcon Lake RCMP at 204-349-2588 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
Global News
02-05-2025
- Global News
1 dead in rural Manitoba house fire: RCMP
A 38-year-old man is dead after a house fire in the RM of Clanwilliam-Erickson, Manitoba RCMP say. Mounties and local firefighters were called to the scene around 6 a.m. Wednesday. Once the blaze was extinguished, the man was found dead inside. Autopsy results confirmed the man died due to the fire, the cause of which has yet to be determined. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy RCMP from the Yellowhead and Dauphin detachments, along with the Office of the Fire Commissioner, continue to investigate.
