Crews stop wildfire on outskirts of northern community

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Crews were on Friday holding a 350-hectare wildfire at the edge of Easterville and the Chemawawin First Nation with no injuries and no property damage.

The provincial department of sustainable development said Friday afternoon that most residents have left the combined community 450 kilometres north of Winnipeg, though the evacuation is not yet complete.

The size of the fire is estimated at 350 hectares and crews have held it to the edge of the community with two water bombers, four bulldozers and seven ground crews. There are no reports of losses to buildings or infrastructure, provincial officials said in a news release.

The province said the fire is to the south of the community, but road access to the east has not been affected.

Evacuees from Easterville have been directed to The Pas, while residents of the Chemawawin First Nation are headed to Winnipeg. Co-ordination of the First Nation’s evacuation is being handled by the Canadian Red Cross, the province said.

The Red Cross said Friday that 1,300 residents have left the community, with another 50 still expected to leave Friday afternoon. Most have their own cars, but buses are being provided for other evacuees. They’re going first to a registration centre at the Holiday Inn on Ellice Avenue near the Winnipeg airport, where they are assigned hotels which the Red Cross declined to name.

Their food and necessities are being covered.

Grand Rapids band councillor Heidi Cook said Friday afternoon that, “We had a couple of families come to Grand Rapids from Easterville,” because it’s the closest community. “They’re bunking with families.”

Cook said that the band council is encouraging the Easterville families to go where help is being provided, though” I wouldn’t want to go to Winnipeg, given the experience there” in some longer-term evacuations of indigenous communities.

They tried to get into the Northbrook Inn in Grand Rapids — the only hotel in the area —but were turned away, Cook said.

Northbrook manager Pinal Patel said that, as soon as the wildfire broke out, fire crews and provincial officials snapped up his rooms, leaving only one room with a single bed which could not accommodate the Easterville families.

In Manitoba, 19 new wildfires, all caused by lightning, were reported Thursday throughout northern Manitoba:

Leaf Rapids, nine; Lynn Lake, four; Wabowden, two; Gillam, three; and Oxford House, one.

A total of 119 wildfires has been recorded to date. The average for this date is 236.

For further general information on the fire status, maps, travel restrictions, burning permit cancellations or other restrictions go to www.gov.mb.ca/wildfire/ or follow the Twitter account at www.twitter.com/mbgovnews.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca

Orange areas on the map above mark forest fire areas reported to the Province of Manitoba