Wildfire evacuees prepare to return home to Cormorant

About 300 wildfire evacuees will begin returning to a northern Manitoba community at noon Monday after officials declared it safe to go home.

Residents of Cormorant, about 70 kilometres northeast of The Pas, were forced to leave July 29, while a nearby wildfire posed a threat.

“Everyone is eagerly looking forward to returning home. There’s a lot of anticipation and excitement in the air,” evacuee Tanis Wishart said. “We’re all hoping for a smooth and safe transition back. It’s been a long and challenging time away, and the thought of finally being back in our own beds, surrounded by familiar comforts, is incredibly uplifting.”

She hailed fire crews for their “bravery, dedication and hard work” to protect Cormorant.

A mandatory evacuation order will be lifted and a roadblock removed at 12 p.m., following consultation with the Manitoba Wildfire Service, Cormorant’s council said in a social-media post.

Buses are scheduled to pick up evacuees who had no transportation of their own when they were displaced to Winnipeg or other southern communities.

The roughly 4,550-hectare fire remained out of control as of the province’s last update Thursday. Caused by a lightning strike, the blaze was nine kilometres northwest of Cormorant.

Wishart said the evacuation was challenging for everyone involved.

“It’s been tough being away from our homes and routines,” she said.

People who didn’t stay with family or friends were taken by bus to a congregate shelter at downtown Winnipeg’s convention centre, where they slept on cots while waiting to be assigned to hotel rooms.

The shelter has housed hundreds of evacuees at a time. Wishart described it as a frightening experience.

“What stands out the most is the incredible sense of community that has emerged,” she said. “People have really come together to support each other, whether it’s sharing resources, offering a comforting word or just lending a helping hand.”

She said residents are grateful for the support received from volunteers and organizations who went “above and beyond” to ensure their safety and comfort.

Evacuees missed the simple things, including routines, neighbours and a sense of belonging that comes with being in their community, Wishart said.

“I cannot wait to be home, and to be out on the lake or down the river,” she said. “I can’t wait to go back to our normal lives, always out fishing, hunting, swimming, tubing — just being out on the land where my soul is at peace.”

Manitoba had 159 active wildfires, mostly in the North, as of Saturday for a total of 407 since the season started in April. The province said 21 active fires were out of control.

More than 1.7 million hectares of land has burned in 2025 — the highest since 1989, when flames consumed a record three million-plus hectares.

More than 31,000 wildfire evacuees have registered with the Canadian Red Cross this season. About 14,000 Manitobans were still displaced as of last week, the province said.

Weekend rain and cooler temperatures helped fire crews who are protecting several northern communities.

A social-media post by the Town of Snow Lake said 45 millimetres of rain was forecast, but areas around several fires only received about four millimetres.

Poor visibility temporarily grounded aircraft operations Saturday.

“The rain should keep it relatively quiet for a day or so before we see the fires beginning to come to life again,” the town’s post said. “It definitely gave (initial attack) teams a reprieve and allowed them to get further work done.”

Additional scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible this week.

Snow Lake has been evacuated since July 10. It is the town’s second wildfire evacuation of the season.

In a separate update, the City of Thompson said weather conditions helped limit the behaviour of two fires to the north of the community Saturday.

Crews are clearing kilometres of trees per day to create fire guards between Thompson and two large, out-of-control fires of concern.

A new fire guard was created south of the city between Highway 6, the North’s main travel and trade corridor, and the Hudson Bay Railway line.

Thompson said a few lightning strikes were possible in the North on Sunday, but additional rain was expected. Northern Manitoba’s largest city has not had to order any evacuations, but it has put 13,000-plus residents on alert in case conditions change.

An air-quality warning was in place for parts of northern Manitoba on Sunday owing to heavy smoke. A special air quality statement was in effect for some southern areas.

Flin Flon and Brandon were among the communities where the air-quality health index was nine, meaning “high risk.”

A provincewide state of emergency has been extended to Aug. 22.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca