Wildfires force two northern First Nations, Lynn Lake to evacuate for second consecutive year, province warns of ‘high to extreme’ danger

The Manitoba government warned of “a high to extreme level of fire danger” in northern parts of the province Monday, where out-of-control wildfires have already prompted hundreds of people to flee their homes.

The community of Lynn Lake, about 800 kilometres north of Winnipeg, was evacuated Saturday and nearby Marcel Colomb First Nation followed suit through the weekend. O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation, located about 130 kilometres east of the communities, also issued a local state of emergency and began to evacuate vulnerable residents owing to smoke in the region, the province said in a news release Monday.

The province said it is tracking 127 active fires across Manitoba, bringing the year-to-date total up to 196 — well above the annual average of 156 on the same date in previous years.

About 600 people were ordered to leave Lynn Lake Saturday. Some fled in their vehicles while others boarded flights destined for Brandon.

Manitoba Parks also issued a closure and evacuation order for Burge Lake and Zed Lake, the province said.

Approximately 110 people from Marcel Colomb have also been evacuated, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, a political advocacy organization representing the community, said in a separate news release Sunday.

The community is located 26 kilometres east of Lynn Lake, which “serves as a key supply and service hub for the First Nation,” the release said.

“With limited access to critical resources and infrastructure, conditions are unsafe for (Marcel Colomb) residents to remain in their nation, prompting the immediate evacuation.”

The provincial wildfire update showed the blaze located about 12 kilometres south of Lynn Lake had burned approximately 5,175 hectares (about 13,000 acres) as of Monday evening.

“Conditions are unsafe for (Marcel Colomb) residents to remain in their nation, prompting the immediate evacuation.”

It was one of several large fires in the region, including one of about 7,000 hectares burning 12 kilometres from Leaf Rapids and a 7,300 hectare blaze less than 15 kilometres from Nelson House.

The largest notable fire in the north is roughly 10,000 hectares and and has got within 13 kilometres of the Wuskwatim generating station. The 210 megawatt station is located on the Burntwood River near Wuskwatim Lake, approximately 45 kilometres southwest of Thompson.

The Free Press was unable to immediately reach Lynn Lake Mayor Brandon Dulewich for comment Monday afternoon, but the town has been providing regular updates about fire conditions on social media.

One update Monday said wildfire was burning within four kilometres from the main power line that supplies electricity to Lynn Lake from the Laurie River Dam. Swampy terrain surrounding the blaze was expected to slow it from spreading in that direction.

Fire crews conducted a back-burn operation on the northeast side of the wildfire Sunday night, another post said.

The firefighting tactic involves sparking a smaller, controlled fire to pre-emptively burn fuel in front of an advancing wildfire.

Crew continued to work on the fire’s northeast side Monday, laying hose lines and constructing landing pads for helicopters, a statement from the Town of Lynn Lake said.

A provincial spokesperson said 19 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 emergency.

Firefighters from departments in Thompson and The Pas have also been dispatched, and fire crews from Lac Brochet, Grand Rapids and other areas could also arrive, the spokesperson said.

Construction on a gold mine near Lynn Lake has paused, and more than 150 personnel have been evacuated by air.

Another 40 people — an emergency-response team — have remained at Alamos Gold’s site, spokeswoman Rebecca Thompson said.

Alamos Gold is building a new mine near the northern town. Once operational, the plant could produce 186,000 ounces of gold annually.

Wildfires in 2025 delayed the project’s development by nearly a year. Currently paused construction includes work on camp facilities, a process plant area, water systems and access roads.

Manitoba Wildfire Service is battling blazes about 16 kilometres away. There hasn’t been damage to Alamos Gold’s infrastructure, equipment or land thus far, Thompson said in a statement Monday.

“They are not here by choice, they are here because they can’t be in their homes.”

The company is making a “remobilization plan” to resume work once the evacuation ends, she said.

O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation chose to activate a state of emergency after a separate fire threatened Highway 493 — the only road providing access to the community, MKO said in its news release.

That blaze is located about 13 kilometres away from the community and had burned 5,000 hectares as of Monday night, the province said.

Leaders in the community are co-ordinating emergency air evacuations. About 200 high-priority evacuees are expected to be transported Monday and Tuesday, MKO said. It wasn’t clear where they would be temporarily located.

Meanwhile, the first wave of evacuees from Lynn Lake began arriving in Brandon by plane Saturday evening.

Evacuations continued Sunday and Monday, expanding to include those leaving Marcel Colomb, Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett said.

A reception centre has been established in the western Manitoba city, which has welcomed about 400 people so far, Fawcett said.

“Members of our community are showing a lot of grace and understanding that these are people who are displaced. They are not here by choice, they are here because they can’t be in their homes,” he said.

“We are going to need to continue to work together to find long-term solutions if we can’t figure out these flood and fire situations.”

It is the second consecutive year in which full or partial evacuation orders have been issued for all three communities because of wildfire activity.

The Free Press requested comment from both Marcel Colomb Chief Delhia Hart-Francois and O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Chief Shirley Ducharme.

MKO Grand Chief Garrison Settee was unavailable for an interview Monday, a spokesperson from his office said.

— With files from Gabrielle Piche

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca