Manitoba declares provincewide state of emergency over wildfires
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Manitoba has declared a provincewide state of emergency as wildfires continue to threaten communities across the province.
An emergency alert issued at around 5:25 p.m. CT Wednesday said the measure was due to rapidly spreading wildfires and extreme fire conditions in northern and eastern Manitoba.
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Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said the "significant step" will involve the evacuation of about 17,000 people as fires continued to intensify throughout Wednesday.
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"This is the largest evacuation Manitoba will have seen in most people's living memory," Kinew said during a Wednesday evening news conference.
It's believed to be the largest evacuation since 1997, when the "Flood of the Century" in the Red River valley forced about 25,000 people from their homes.
City of Flin Flon residents have been given a pre-evacuation notice after an out-of-control wildfire that started at a landfill in Creighton, Sask., crossed over the Manitoba border. (Anna Krass/Facebook via CBC News)
Evacuation orders have been issued for the city of Flin Flon, Pimicikamak Cree Nation and the northern community of Cross Lake, along with Pukatawagan Cree Nation, also known as Mathias Colomb First Nation, Kinew said.
The majority of the evacuees will head to Winnipeg, he said, and will be housed at large facilities such as community centres, soccer fields and arenas, he said.
Kinew said Prime Minister Mark Carney has accepted the province's request to have the Canadian Armed Forces step in to help. The military will be deployed to fly people to safety "in hours instead of days," the premier said.
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The state of emergency will be in effect for 30 days but may be extended if necessary, the province said in a news release.
"If you are in Flin Flon, please go to Winnipeg. If you are in Pimicikamak or Pukatawagan, listen to direction from your local leadership," Kinew said.
"This is a moment of fear and uncertainty. This is a moment of concern. But I want to tell you that your fellow Manitobans will welcome you. We will get through this difficult period and we'll get through this trying period the way that we always do: by working together."
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Flin Flon evacuation
The wildfire threatening Flin Flon, a city of roughly 5,000 that's about 630 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, started earlier this week at a landfill in Creighton, Sask., just across the provincial border, and spread into Manitoba. Kinew said he's in talks with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe to ensure people on both sides of the border are taken care of amid health-care disruptions caused by the fire.
The out-of-control fire was two kilometres from Flin Flon, and about 20,000 hectares in size as of the latest provincial fire bulletin on Wednesday afternoon.
Ahead of the province's emergency declaration, Flin Flon Mayor George Fontaine told CBC News in a phone call that all residents of the city will have to leave by midnight.
On Tuesday, the city asked residents to pre-register in case of a potential evacuation. Anyone who has not yet registered can do so via the City of Flin Flon's website, officials said in a release posted to Facebook on Wednesday afternoon.
"I want folks to ensure that you're leaving as soon as you can with the things that you need," Kinew said. "Medication, clothing, identification, if you have access to those things quickly. Make sure you got a full tank of gas. "
Residents have been told to make arrangements to stay with friends and family, or call the 211 health and social services line for information about shelters in Winnipeg.
Anyone who needs information or assistance can go to the community hall, the City of Flin Flon said.
Flin Flon resident Elsaida Alerta told CBC News she felt panicked as she packed her personal belongings to leave with her family. They planned to head for Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie.
"The town is absolutely smoked out here.… We're just kind of in a panic here," she told CBC Radio's Up to Speed on Wednesday, adding residents can "barely breathe."
The Town of Creighton also issued an evacuation order on Wednesday afternoon, asking its citizens to leave as soon as possible. The town said Creighton residents who don't have transportation to get out of town should meet at the arena Thursday morning.
A fire near Sherridon is seen earlier this week across a lake. (Johnny Patterson/Facebook via CBC News)
Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, an advocacy group for First Nations in northern Manitoba, said earlier Wednesday the airport in Pimicikamak was not operational, and the community can't access the main highway because of the nearby wildfire.
That blaze was about five kilometres from the community of Cross Lake and was 1,500 hectares in size, according to the latest fire bulletin. The First Nation, about 530 kilometres north of Winnipeg, began evacuating high-priority residents this weekend as smoke threatened the health of vulnerable residents.
MKO said Pukatawagan — about 250 kilometres northwest of Cross Lake — has also been cut off from its airport. The provincial fire map showed three fires surrounding the First Nation community as of Tuesday. The largest, at 250 hectares, was only about a kilometre north of the Pukatawagan's airfield.
Two other northern First Nations have been put on evacuation notice: Norway House and Easterville/Chemawawin Cree Nation.
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Thumbnail courtesy of/Manitoba government via CBC.
This article was originally written by Arturo Chang and published for CBC News. It contains files from Ian Froese.