More than 2,500 First Nation evacuees going home

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This article was published 30/08/2024 (685 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Evacuees from Bunibonibee Cree Nation are preparing to return home more than two weeks after a wildfire raging near the northern community sparked a mass evacuation.

“The wildfire… has now been contained, which has allowed residents of Bunibonibee to plan for a return home starting this weekend,” the province said in a news release Thursday.

More than 2,500 residents from the First Nation, located roughly 185 kilometres southeast of Thompson, evacuated on Aug. 14 as flames reached within 10 kilometres of the community.

The Manitoba Wildfire Service enlisted the help of inter-provincial partners and the Canadian Armed Forces as it worked to address the blaze. A total of 41 personnel from Atlantic Canada (Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island) are currently working in the province, along with 11 from Minnesota, the release said.

Although evacuees are permitted to return, the province warned wildfires “continue to persist” throughout Manitoba with fire officials tracking 83 active wildfires.

The largest blaze, measuring 40,186 hectares, is burning near the communities of Garden Hill, God’s Lake Narrows and Red Sucker Lake. The Wildfire Service is working to protect Manitoba Hydro infrastructure and a communication tower that services the region, it said.

Another blaze measuring 20,489 hectares is raging roughly 60 kilometres northeast of Thompson, with crews on scene to prevent it from spreading south toward Provincial Road 280, the province said.

Elsewhere, a 36,000-hectare fire located 23 kilometres east of Mathias Colomb Cree Nation (Pukatawagan) is creating large plumes of smoke and impacting residents of the community.

Minor fires, ranging from less than one hectare to 3,020 hectares in size, are burning near Lynn Lake, Manto Sipi Cree Nation, Marcel Colomb First Nation and Flin Flon.

Manitoba has logged 275 wildfires in total this season, the province said.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca