‘Bare and deserted… really strange’ Essential worker returns to Flin Flon to prepare for Wednesday’s mass homecoming By: Chris Kitching Posted: 3:51 PM CDT Tuesday, Jun. 24, 2025 Last Modified: 5:16 PM CDT Tuesday, Jun. 24, 2025 Updates

Wildfire evacuee Anna Krassilowski’s return to her hometown of Flin Flon had an eerie feeling, especially when she drove along a Main Street that is normally teeming with activity.

Krassilowski, an essential worker, arrived home before most residents to help the northwestern city prepare for the return of about 5,000 evacuees, starting at 9 a.m. Wednesday, when a mandatory evacuation order is due to be lifted.

“(The city) was just very bare and deserted. Driving down Main Street was really strange, not seeing a soul,” Krassilowski, 24, said of her drive home Monday. “Going out on my deck and not seeing my neighbours was really strange.”

Flin Flon residents were forced to leave May 28, prompting one of Manitoba’s largest and longest wildfire evacuations this year.

A crew of more than 100 firefighters protected the city from flames that raged on its doorstep for days.

The fire merged with others to become the largest blaze in Manitoba — covering more than 370,700 hectares of land as of Tuesday — while also extending into Saskatchewan, where the initial fire that threatened Flin Flon originated.

“It’s incredible to see how close it came. It ringed the community on all sides almost, and they managed to keep it out,” Mayor George Fontaine said.

He expressed deep gratitude to fire crews, essential workers who fed and supported them, and people who welcomed evacuees into their communities.

“There’s no way to thank these people enough,” Fontaine said.

No structures were reported destroyed within Flin Flon. Some losses were reported outside the city.

Flin Flon has been deemed safe now that the fire, although still out of control, is further away, and essential services, including the RCMP, fire department and the local hospital’s emergency room, have been restored for the public.

Other hospital services, groceries and some supplies will be limited initially, said city officials, who asked people who are medically vulnerable to consider postponing their return.

Staff who work in grocery stores, pharmacies, medical services, hardware and clothing stores, restaurants, vehicle repair shops, and mail and shipping were allowed to return early to prepare for the reopening.

Fontaine said residents are excited and looking forward to a sense of normalcy again.

Deputy Mayor Alison Dallas-Funk asked people to be patient and take their time on Highway 10, the main gateway to the city, because it will be very busy. She urged people not to stop on the highway to take pictures or hold up traffic in any way.

“(The city) was just very bare and deserted. Driving down Main Street was really strange, not seeing a soul.”–Anna Krassilowski

“There are still fire crews out, so safety is our No. 1 priority,” Dallas-Funk said in a video on social media.

She asked returnees to be respectful of people whose properties were destroyed.

“Absolutely no disaster tourism,” Dallas-Funk said.

Flin Flon’s airport at Bakers Narrows will remain closed, the province said. The airport has been used for aircraft involved the wildfire fight.

Boaters were advised to avoid waterways that are being used by water bombers and helicopters with buckets.

Bakers Narrows Provincial Park and the Schist Lake, Big Island Lake and Little Athapapuskow cottage areas near Flin Flon will reopen to permanent residents, cottagers and commercial operators at 9 a.m. Wednesday, the province announced Tuesday.

Krassilowski said Flin Flon returnees will likely be lined up at a highway roadblock when it is removed Wednesday. She expects a range of emotions when families, friends and neighbours reunite.

“Probably a lot of hugging. It’s going to be nice to see everyone’s faces,” she said by phone from Flin Flon. “I have a good feeling everyone is going to be happy to see each other. Everyone is just scattered.”

Krassilowski travelled more than 750 kilometres to Winnipeg when the evacuation order was issued.

She then spent weeks camping in Swan River and Clearwater Provincial Park, near The Pas.

The experience took a mental and physical toll on her. She said she is exhausted, and her body is aching.

“Sleeping in a tent for that long does wonders for your back,”Krassilowski said sarcastically. “Sleeping in my own bed again was the best.”

“There are still fire crews out, so safety is our No. 1 priority…  Absolutely no disaster tourism.”–Flin Flon deputy mayor Alison Dallas-Funk

She said she was fortunate to have spent the evacuation with family because some evacuees were alone.

Smoke was in the air in some places while she drove toward Flin Flon. Seeing burned trees near the highway was heartbreaking, she said.

Her first day back was not one of rest. She spent the day cleaning her house. She threw out everything in her fridge because her home was one of many that lost power for some time.

She returned with groceries and other supplies, as recommended by city officials.

But she isn’t going to unpack her evacuation bag just yet.

“It’s fire. It can change at any minute,”Krassilowski said. “I think I’ll always have an evacuation bag packed.”

The province said Manitobans who are returning to reopened communities should be prepared to evacuate again with little notice and have an emergency “go kit” ready.

Lynn Lake, home to about 600 people, lifted an evacuation order June 20. In a social media post Tuesday, the town announced sprinklers and hoses were being set up as a precaution on the south side of Lynn Lake due to wildfire risk.

In Pimicikamak Cree Nation, Chief David Monias said the northern community’s repatriation, which began June 16 in partnership with the Canadian Red Cross, concluded Monday.

More than 7,500 residents were forced to flee their homes May 28 due to an out-of-control fire that was 66,824 hectares Tuesday.

Evacuees returned by private vehicle, bus and plane. The final flight from Winnipeg departed Monday, Monias said in a social media post.

Pimicikamak residents who’ve not yet returned will be responsible for their own transportation or accommodations, the post said.

The Manitoba Wildfire Service reported 18 active fires Tuesday. Six were classified as out of control.

The province said recent rain lowered the fire danger across most of Manitoba, although there were still pockets of high danger in northwest and southern areas.

Manitoba has recorded 131 wildfires this year. The average for June 24 is 135 fires. Almost 110 of this year’s fires were caused by human activity, as per the province.

Since May 1, Manitoba Conservation officers have issued 96 charges and 32 warnings.

More than 22,000 Manitobans were forced to leave their homes due to fires across the province. About 9,000 had returned home as of Monday, the province said.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

Jen Zoratti | Next

Wednesdays

What's next in arts, life and pop culture.

Sign up for Jen Zoratti | Next

Sign Up

I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement.

A blaze that started near Ingolf, Ont., on May 12 and spread to eastern sections of Manitoba’s Whiteshell Provincial Park was now under control.

The blaze covered 36,043 hectares of land in Ontario and 5,410 hectares in Manitoba, according to government estimates.

Manitoba’s second-largest fire — stretching from the Bird River area, through parts of Nopiming Provincial Park and to areas east of Bissett — remained out of control at 224,591 hectares.

The blaze spread into Ontario, where it covered about 7,700 hectares. Ontario’s government said that area of fire was under control as of Tuesday.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Chris Kitching
Reporter

Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris.

Every piece of reporting Chris 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.