Lynn Lake evacuees begin arriving in Brandon

BRANDON — About 300 evacuees from Lynn Lake were expected arrived in Brandon Friday, with hundreds more scheduled to arrive today, a Red Cross official told the Brandon Sun.

Nearly 600 residents are being forced to leave their homes — two weeks after an initial wildfire evacuation ended — as a new blaze threatened to cut electricity to the northwestern Manitoba town.

Most of the evacuees are being flown in due to the distance — Brandon is 1,175 kilometres by road from Lynn Lake.

“We were home for about two weeks, and then we got sent out again,” said Trent Farrow, who was among the first arrivals to land at Brandon Municipal Airport on Friday afternoon.

“We (have) nowhere to go, no vehicle and stuff. But you know, it worked out,” he said.

The Red Cross set up a reception centre at the Victoria Inn Hotel, where evacuees will be registered and moved to various hotels in the Wheat City — a notable improvement from the cot-based congregate shelters used during their previous evacuation to Thompson.

Farrow said his family of seven hadn’t even finished unpacking before being told to leave again. He said they were still in the middle of cleaning the house when the evacuation order came.

“It’s tough leaving home again,” he said. “But we’re safe. That’s what matters.”

Other evacuees expressed a mix of exhaustion, anxiety and reluctant acceptance.

“I felt overwhelmed,” said Marie Bighetty, who arrived around 4:30 p.m. with her family.

“It’s my first time in Brandon. I worry about my grandkids here because they’re so used to running around.”

Her relative, Ryan Bighetty, voiced deeper frustrations.

“It was a mixed feeling — happy and sad,” he said. “I had plans to work and prepare for college. This is our second evacuation, and it’s exhausting. All the food we had is probably going to waste now, with power being cut.”

Adolph Lapense said he tried to stay optimistic.

“This is my second time, so we’re very organized now. I guess we’ll have to survive on this. What else can we do?” he said. “It’s like a long vacation for me because I don’t have to work.”

Others, such as Kevin Maniel, were less upbeat.

“We just got home from Thompson and now we’re back out again,” Maniel said. “We’re tired, exhausted from travelling. Everyone’s just trying to cope.”

The Red Cross is organizing air transportation and providing emergency accommodations and personal services at the request of both community leadership and the Manitoba government, spokesperson Jason Small said.

“People who have already registered with the Red Cross for fire evacuations this summer do not need to register again,” Small said. “We’re working closely with Indigenous leadership, the community and governments as the situation evolves.”

The evacuation notice said “all residents” were asked to leave Friday due to wildfire threat and the imminent loss of power.

The City of Brandon had received word of the incoming evacuees, Mayor Jeff Fawcett said.

“There are some preparations to take in residents, but I don’t have details like numbers or arrival times,” he said.

The Town of Lynn Lake said an outage could last at least one month if the remote transmission line is damaged and needs to be repaired.

Without power, the town said it cannot maintain essential services such as water treatment or refrigeration, making it unsafe for people to remain for an extended period.

The length of any restoration, if required, would depend on the terrain, which is challenging in places, and if equipment has to be airlifted, Manitoba Hydro spokesman Scott Powell said.

Damage assessments cannot take place until the area is deemed safe.

Lynn Lake Mayor Brandon Dulewich said planes with seating for about 200 evacuees flew to Brandon on Friday.

The province expected 579 residents to leave, while firefighters and other essential staff stayed behind.

Some evacuees drove out on their own. Fires near Lynn Lake and Leaf Rapids, which was under an evacuation alert, threatened to cut off highway access to Thompson.

Lynn Lake’s hospital, which closed during the first evacuation, remained open. Staff will stay unless authorities deem the situation to be unsafe, a Northern Health Region spokesperson said.

The hospital has a diesel generator for backup power and satellite internet service.

— Brandon Sun