Hundreds of new evacuations were ordered by Manitoba and Saskatchewan sought international help on Saturday, as raging wildfires in Western Canada this week 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 to Winnipeg, where more than 17,000 evacuees from other areas in the province are being housed in arenas and soccer fields converted into shelters.
Both Manitoba and Saskatchewan declared provincewide states of emergency earlier this week.
Lori Forbes, co-ordinator for the Kelsey area, where around 500 people live, said a large fire has knocked down many hydro lines. She urged residents to pack kits and drive toward safety by Saturday evening, 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 around Kelsey. “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 the country on Saturday, with dozens spanning from northwestern Ontario through to large regions of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, along with some areas in Alberta and British Columbia. At least 90 of those are considered out of control and eight new fires have started since Friday.
Hazardous fumes from the fires have spread beyond Canada’s border. Many cities in the United States – including Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee – have been affected by the smoke, causing decreased visibility, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s index for air quality.
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 was contending with 25 active wildfires on Saturday, with 106 in total this year. Before this week, the 20-year average for the region was 78 annual fires.
In Saskatchewan, where more than 500,000 hectares have been burned by wildfires, Premier Scott Moe said he has been in constant dialogue with the federal government and other officials about whether military support is needed, but has not called for it yet.
He told reporters Saturday in Prince Albert that the province is seeking equipment and personnel from multiple jurisdictions in the United States – including Oregon, Arizona and Alaska. Firefighters have also been sent to Saskatchewan from several other parts of Canada, such as Quebec and Yukon, he added.
Mr. Moe said there will likely be many more evacuation orders over the next week.
He has already issued orders 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 in some other communities have also been notified to be ready to flee at a moment’s notice this weekend.
“These are extremely stressful and challenging times,” Mr. Moe said, as 16 large fires were actively burning in his province Saturday, seven of which were uncontained. Saskatchewan has recorded 211 wildfires this year – well over its five-year annual average of 128.
“It is a very volatile situation.”
Back in Manitoba, more than 5,000 residents have left the mining city of Flin Flon, close to Cranberry Portage, 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.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said late Friday that officials are worried about the wind in the area, which they believe may shift further in the wrong direction over the weekend, bringing the out-of-control flames right into Flin Flon.
“Please pray for rain,” he said.
The small city’s mayor, George Fontaine, said he has also been advised to leave soon himself. “Fire crews are doing their best to save properties, but I have to be honest: I don’t think there will be a lot here in Flin Flon left,” he said by phone Saturday.
“With all this devastation, we are very much going to have to build everything from the ground up again.”
Wildfires force thousands to flee homes in Western Canada
Also on Saturday, at least five aircraft, including two military planes, transported evacuees from Pimicikamak Cree Nation in Pukatawagan, 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.
“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.”
The chief said he has been pleading with authorities for more places for Pimicikamak evacuees to stay. “The hotels are all booked up everywhere they go – in Winnipeg, Brandon, what have you,” he said.
“People are sleeping on floors, with their little babies. The process is taking too long. We need more beds.”
Marcy Colomb, who arrived in Winnipeg with her cousins and husband Saturday morning, agreed. “Some of my family have medical conditions. And as grateful as we are to be even safely waiting for shelters here, we just can’t keep standing around for hours while being this exhausted and drained,” she said.
“The terrible smoke – the horrible situation we’re in,” said her husband, Harrison Colomb, as they stood outside a reception centre. “All we need is for a place to sleep.”
Emergency response staff work at a temporary emergency centre in Winnipeg on Friday.Ed White/Reuters
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 more spaces in other areas as well, including Winkler and Brandon.
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, Cross Lake, Norway House and Mathias Colomb First Nation in Pukatawagan – are also being evacuated.
In northern Ontario, roughly 400 people from Webequie First Nation were being transported Saturday to Barrie, Ont., as the province faced at least 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 51 active wildfires in the province as of Saturday, with 29 deemed out of control. Evacuations are taking place near Chipewyan Lake, Red Earth Creek, Loon Lake, Peerless Lake and Trout Lake.
Meanwhile, B.C. was grappling 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.