Premier to visit northwest Manitoba, promises support for wildfire evacuees ‘We could be fighting that fire a month from now’: Wildfire Service director By: Tyler Searle Posted: 1:27 PM CDT Monday, May. 13, 2024

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Premier Wab Kinew is heading to northwestern Manitoba as a massive wildfire rages in the region, scorching thousands of hectares of land and forcing hundreds of Cranberry Portage residents to flee their homes.

Kinew vowed unconditional support for displaced residents and fire crews battling the blaze — which provincial officials said may continue to burn for weeks.

“This is a very difficult moment for a lot of people in our province, but I wanted to indicate to folks that have been displaced that we’re going to have your back,” Kinew said Monday.

“Whatever dollar amount is needed to support people who have been forced to leave their homes is going to be marshalled to help them.”

The province issued evacuation orders for Cranberry Portage, located about 45 kilometres southeast of Flin Flon, on Saturday night.

Residents scrambled to pack up their families and belongings on a few hours notice. Many fled to The Pas, where the RM of Kelsey established a reception centre at the Wescana Inn. A second reception centre is operating in Flin Flon at the Victoria Inn.

Kinew plans to visit the region Tuesday morning to speak directly with evacuees and emergency responders, he said.

The province has implemented a “cross-departmental response” in the face of the emergency, mobilizing staff from the departments of families, finance and health to render aid to displaced people. Supports are already in place to arrange medication deliveries and care services for people in need, he added.

The fire began Thursday when lightning struck a ridge line some 25 kilometres northwest of Cranberry Portage, Earl Simmons, director of Manitoba Wildfire Service, told reporters outside his Winnipeg office Monday.

It had grown to around 31,600 hectares (86,486 acres) on the night of the evacuation and is currently burning around 1.5 kilometres outside of Cranberry Portage.

The province initially said the blaze had engulfed up to 35,000 hectares of land, but corrected the numbers to subtract space occupied by bodies of water.

Drought conditions and high winds caused the fire to “explode” and grow at “unbelievable” speed, Simmons said.

“I’ve been working in wildfires for 40 years — I’ve never seen a fire move like this,” he said, noting, at one point, the flames were engulfing an estimated two kilometres of land per hour at the fire head.

Crews have reported seeing the fire burn hot enough to scorch tree roots underground, causing the trunks to come crashing down, Simmons said.

“We could be fighting that fire a month from now,” he said. “It’s going to be a lot of work.”

About 50 firefighters are already on scene in northwest Manitoba and the Wildfire Service has enlisted support of 55 more from Ontario and Saskatchewan, Simmons said.

At least 40 of those reinforcements are coming from Ontario, said Alexandria Jones, communications manager for the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.

The non-profit organization is jointly owned and operated by Canada’s municipal and federal governments. It is based in Winnipeg and facilitates interprovincial fire supports during emergencies across the nation.

Manitoba’s request for reinforcements has “kicked off” Canada’s fire season, she said.

The crews from Ontario were expected to arrive in the region Monday night, Simmons said.

In the interim, bombers from Manitoba and Saskatchewan are dropping water near homes and infrastructure to protect them, he said.

Cranberry Portage firefighters remain in the community and are installing sprinklers to help protect local infrastructure, Simmons said.

When the evacuation orders came down, MnB’s Gas Bar owner Blair Lundie resolved to stay in the community with his wife and 21 year-old son. Together, they supported the evacuation.

“It was needed. People needed gas, people needed supplies … there was no hesitation,” Lundie said.

The gas pumps were “jam-packed” with evacuees on Saturday night when the station lost power, sending Lundie scrambling to fire up a backup generator and keep the fuel flowing.

“It was a real struggle. There was a real panic and you could just feel it in the air,” he said.

On Monday, emergency first responders were the only people left occupying the community, he said.

Lundie kept his store open for essential supplies while his wife, Melissa Lundie, worked in their kitchen at home to cook meals for firefighters.

As of Monday, fire crews had reported no injuries; some structures in the area suffered minor damage, Simmons said.

Some of the damaged infrastructure includes a rail line connecting Cranberry Portage to Mathias Colomb Cree Nation (Pukatawagan).

Leaders there are monitoring the situation.

The First Nation’s assistant chief Ray Jorgensen said flames scorched some railway ties, compromising the line’s ability to support a train and halting travel.

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‘Everybody is very happy to be home’

The line, owned by Keewatin Railway Co., is vital for the community, which is accessible only by winter road, rail and air, he said.

“Food, water, fuel — that’s where the bulk of supplies come from,” he said. “It’s going to cause trouble for this community.”

The train typically travels into the community twice each week, ferrying goods and passengers each way. Work is already underway to co-ordinate inspections and repairs for the infrastructure, but it is unclear when the line will be fit for operation, he said.

Community leaders have conducted assessments with local stores, and the First Nation has estimated it has sufficient essential supplies to last until Thursday.

If shipments do not resume before then, the community may need to organize deliveries by air, he said.

A shipment of supplies slated for delivery Monday is stranded in The Pas, he added.

“It was a real struggle. There was a real panic and you could just feel it in the air.”–Blair Lundie

Some First Nations students enrolled in Cranberry Portage’s Frontier Collegiate Institute were stranded in The Pas immediately after the evacuation. The high school includes dormitories for students to stay in the community if they do not have schools on their own First Nations.

Frontier School Division has made travel accommodations for all the students to return home until emergency orders are lifted, Supt. Reg Klassen said.

Manitoba RCMP are on scene in Cranberry Portage, aiding in evacuation efforts and conducting well-being checks on isolated homes, cabins, and trap lines, spokesperson Tara Seel said by email. The police force has established a blockade near the community to prevent evacuated residents from returning home until the region is deemed safe.

Mounties continue to work with local emergency crews, collaborate with senior levels of government and assist members of the public to recover medications and other vital items left behind, she said.

Seel urged residents not to return, saying “Valuable resources are being used to get people previously evacuated out and to safety. Police are asking people to avoid the area if possible.”

Canada Post announced it has suspended mail deliveries to Cranberry Portage for the immediate future, citing employee safety.

Kinew thanked firefighters, RCMP and local officials, saying they have been working “around the clock” to help people escape safely.

He urged evacuees to call Manitoba 211 for support, advice and help locating other evacuated loved ones.

—with files from Carol Sanders and Chris Kitching

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca

Tyler Searle
Reporter

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.