Wildfire sparks mandatory evacuation order for Lynn Lake

Residents of a northern Manitoba community twice evacuated last summer were once again ordered to leave their homes Saturday as an out-of-control wildfire burned nearby.

Mayor Brandon Dulewich said a mandatory evacuation order is in place for the town of Lynn Lake, located about 780 kilometres north of Brandon.

A wildfire ignited Thursday is raging south of the town and rapidly advancing. By Friday, the blaze had grown so extreme that it spawned a lightning storm — a natural phenomenon that occurs as a result of intense fire conditions, the Town of Lynn Lake said in a social media post.

“It’s terrible. It’s the worst nightmare come true and something we certainly didn’t anticipate,” Dulewich said Saturday morning, moments before announcing the evacuation.

“To kick people out of their houses again, for a second summer in a row, for an unknown period of time, is something I don’t want to do. I’m fighting this tooth and nail, but safety is the utmost concern of the citizens and with projections right now, we are anticipating the fire coming into town.”

About 600 people live in Lynn Lake.

Manitoba Wildfire Services directed Dulewich to issue the evacuation order after it became too dangerous for ground crews and aerial bombers to battle the blaze, the mayor said.

The size of the fire was unclear Saturday. The last available report from the Manitoba government’s wildfire map pegged it at 1,600 hectares, but that information had not been updated since Friday.

Information from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre suggested the fire had grown to approximately 2,500 hectares as of Saturday afternoon.

Dulewich did not know precisely how large the fire was, but said it was burning about 20 kilometres outside of the community.

Based on information provided to him by fire officials, he believed the fire could travel within six kilometres of Lynn Lake before the end of day on Saturday, and could reach the town’s boundary at some point the following day.

Smoke conditions near the blaze were too intense Saturday morning for aerial crews to accurately report the size, he said.

“It sounds like suppression efforts are minimal — limited crews, limited resources. If there was a possibility to get more crews and resources to fight this fire, I think we would stand a really good chance, but apparently it sounds like those aren’t available,” Dulewich said.

“We thought after the fires of last year, there would have been a lot better plans in place of fighting fires and to mitigate them, but currently we’re seeing almost worse efforts than we saw last year, which doesn’t make any sense.”

Arrangements were made to transport resident by bus from the Lynn Lake town office to the airport. Other people opted to drive out of the community in their own vehicles.

The Town of Lynn Lake put out a call for motorists with room to provide rides to people who did not have access to a vehicle.

A reception centre was established at Brandon’s Victoria Inn.

Evacuees were urged to bring their prescription medicines, essential items and necessary supplies for children and pets.

Resident John Porter said he planned to finish his shift at Lynn Lake’s northern store on Saturday afternoon, then begin the evacuation process with his wife and children.

He was reluctant to leave the community.

Porter was among a handful of Lynn Lake residents who stayed behind last year when wildfires prompted similar evacuation orders in May and July. His family, meanwhile, evacuated and remained away from home for three months.

“(People) are not happy at all,” he said of the evacuation. “I’d like to stay, but I’ve got family, so I have to leave with my family.”

Despite the emergency order, the northern store was relatively quiet throughout the day Saturday, Porter said. Some customers popped in for “odds and ends,” but there was no apparent sense of panic, he said.

Conditions in the community were cool and the smoke was limited as of Saturday afternoon, said Gord Loewen, owner of Lynn Lake’s Esso gas station.

He said the pumps were packed with people filling up on fuel as word of the evacuation spread.

“Everybody has been rushing around to get ready… It’s frustrating, that’s all I can tell you, very frustrating,” he said.

Like Porter, Loewen said there was no panic in the community.

“It’s going to be very short-lived, I’m sure of it,” he said of the evacuation.

“Erring on the side of caution, I guess, is a good thing for certain folks, but it just stalls everything and puts everything upside down for a while.”

He planned to stay in the community to ensure the gas station remained open during the emergency.

“Trying to keep people flowing and keep them on track, I guess, so they can do what they’re told to do.”

The evacuation is happening in co-ordination with the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization, Emergency Social Services and the Canadian Red Cross.

Dulewich called for more fire support, saying additional pumps, hoses, water bombers and fire crews are required to protect his community.

A ministerial spokesperson said the Office of the Fire Commissioner is sending a fire engine and two fire skids equipped with hoses, pumps and water tanks that will be operational Sunday. Firefighters from The Pas and Thompson are also en route, and work is ongoing to secure additional equipment and personnel to help in the effort.

Another truck from nearby Marcel Colomb First Nation is incoming, and the commissioner’s office has established a command centre in Lynn Lake, the spokesperon said.

Fourteen members of Canada Task Force Four — a specialized disaster response team overseen by the Office of the Fire Commissioner — are on the ground in Lynn Lake to assist with the evacuation. They also helped to set up sprinklers and other firefighting resources to protect infrastructure, they said.

The Northern Health Region issued a statement saying the Lynn Lake hospital would remain open for emergency services.

Minister Lisa Naylor, who oversees the Emergency Management Organization, acknowledged the “challenging and stressful” moment that Lynn Lake residents are facing. The province is in direct contract with local leadership, and will continue to help coordinate the emergency response, she said in a statement.

“Our priority is keeping Manitobans safe. We are ensuing everyone who is evacuated has access to accommodations and the supports they need,” she said.

The province said 26 new fires were sparked on Friday, bringing the number of active fires to 96. In total, 159 fires have burned in Manitoba this year, compared to the 20-year average of 149 for this date.

The mandatory evacuation order comes less than 24 hours after Lynn Lake recommended residents voluntarily evacuate.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca