‘Mayhem’ as northern residents scramble to escape wildfires

Paige Bada tried her best to prepare when it became clear wildfires were racing toward Flin Flon.

Still, when the order to evacuate the city by midnight Thursday was called Wednesday afternoon, she, and many others, found themselves in a state of “mayhem.”

“I’m scrambling right now … everybody’s running,” Bada, 26, told the Free Press by phone while packing.

Bada is headed south toward Brandon to stay with family, but much of Flin Flon’s population of 5,000 — 6,000 when nearby cottage owners and other residents are factored in — will end up staying in makeshift shelters in Winnipeg after the province declared a state of emergency Wednesday. Members of the military will assist with the evacuations, Premier Wab Kinew said at an evening news conference.

“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.”

Kinew said 17,000 people will be evacuated from northern Manitoba, which includes the city of Flin Flon and the First Nations of Pimicikimak and Mathias Colomb.

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A message posted to Flin Flon’s website advised residents who are driving to take Provincial Road 10 towards The Pas and said there might be some visibility issues related to the wildfire. Motorists were advised not to try to take PR 39 towards Thompson.

“If you have friends and family who can accommodate you, you should make arrangements with them,” the post said.

Residents should take identification, medication, necessary supplies and provisions for pets, the post said.

Pimicikamak Cree Nation Chief David Monias posted on Facebook late Wednesday afternoon that a “full evacuation” is in progress because of a fire threatening that community.

Bada’s voice started to break when she spoke about leaving home — for the belongings she’ll have to leave behind, the uncertainty of how long she’ll be away, and for her parents, who she said were not yet prepared to leave home.

“We were supposed to stick together, and it’s kind of not going to be that,” she said, breaking into tears.

Flin Flon mayor George Fontaine, yelling over the sound of water bomber helicopters, said he was rushing to be with his community as people began to leave.

“I’m busy packing a couple of things and everybody is getting as organized as we can,” Fontaine said.

“Right up from my home, 200 yards from here, (helicopters are) dropping water now, so that indicates that we’re in some pretty deep trouble here.”

He said people plan to take Highway 10 as it’s the only route out.

“That ends up in Winnipeg so we’ll see what happens,” Fontaine said.

Local officials placed Flin Flon on high-alert earlier Wednesday, warning residents they might be asked to flee should the flames continue to push toward the community. The Flin Flon General Hospital had already begun to evacuate its most vulnerable patients.

Anna Krassilowski sat perched on the city’s water tower early Wednesday morning, watching the sky turn crimson.

“It’s definitely not ideal. With the unpredictability of any of the weather, if the wind changes, you never know when it’s going to come close to town,” Krassilowski said prior to the evacuation notice.

The city issued a “pre-alert for possible evacuation” Tuesday night because of dry conditions and the proximity of the fire.

In an update posted on Facebook Wednesday morning, Flin Flon said the situation was stable, but warned that could change.

The Northern Health Region issued a statement Wednesday afternoon, saying it chose to proactively evacuate high-acuity patients from Flin Flon “out of an abundance of caution.”

“Please know that every possible measure is being taken to ensure the safety, comfort, and well-being of the Northern Health Region’s patients and clients,” the statement said.

Kinew confirmed the hospital began moving patients Tuesday night.

Mitchell Foster, whose family owns the Gateway Tempo gas station, said vehicles were lined up onto a nearby highway Tuesday night as people rushed to stock up on fuel. The rush of customers continued into Wednesday, he said.

“Our whole town is backlogged,” Foster said by phone at 1 p.m. “Everyone is worried.

“I’ve lived here for 20-something years and I’ve never seen it this bad before.”

Families were scrambling to put together emergency bags with clothes, toiletries, passports and medications. Some people were taking pictures and videos of their homes, in case they needed to file future insurance claims, Foster said.

— with files from The Canadian Press

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca

Malak Abas
Reporter

Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg's North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020.

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Tyler Searle
Reporter

Since joining the paper in 2022, Tyler has found himself driving through blizzards, documenting protests and scouring the undersides of bridges for potential stories.

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