Dense smoke forces First Nations to evacuate

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This article was published 07/07/2019 (2483 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

We are in the process of evacuating priority one residents from Little Grand Rapids and Pauingassi First Nations due to smoke from wildfires in the area. pic.twitter.com/QoFc6u8GC1

— Red Cross Manitoba (@RedCrossMB) July 7, 2019

Dense smoke from forest fires has forced the evacuation of babies, seniors and people with breathing problems from two Manitoba Indigenous communities.

Meanwhile, the special air-quality statement issued by Environment Canada for parts of southern Manitoba this weekend has been lifted for Winnipeg.

As many as 152 infants, seniors, people with respiratory issues, and escorts began being flown out of Little Grand Rapids First Nation to Winnipeg on Saturday night. On Sunday morning, the decision was made to begin evacuating such residents out of the nearby Pauingassi First Nation. Both fly-in communities are on the east side of Lake Winnipeg.

“The priority evacuations from Little Grand Rapids are continuing and should be completed today,” said Michelle Palansky, communications adviser with the Canadian Red Cross in Manitoba.

Palansky said Pauingassi was added because of the smoky conditions, and other communities could also see priority evacuations before the end of the day.

“Everything is fluid,” she said. “Right now a maximum of 76 priority No. 1 plus escorts are being evacuated, so a maximum of 152.”

Palansky said all of the evacuations are due to smoke and not because the communities are threatened by fire.

The Canadian Red Cross is managing evacuations on behalf of the First Nations and Indigenous Services Canada.

The Manitoba government says the smoke is blowing into the province from forest fires in northwestern Ontario.

One of the forest fires, Red Lake Fire 23, is burning about eight kilometres south of the community of Keewaywin, Ont., and has forced more than 450 residents to be evacuated in the last week.

The federal government has agreed to deploy the Canadian Armed Forces to help evacuate First Nation communities in northwestern Ontario affected by the fire, including the Pikangikum First Nation, located southwest of Keewaywin.

Meanwhile, while Environment Canada has lifted the public weather alert for the elevated pollution levels due to smoke in Winnipeg, as well as west and southwest of the city including Portage la Prairie, Winkler, and Morris, the alert remains in effect for the eastern side of Lake Winnipeg down to the U.S. border. 

“The area of smoke is confined to the area with the air quality statement,” Brent Lowry, an Environment Canada meteorologist, said on Sunday. “It also includes parts of northwest Ontario.”

Lowry said rain is in the forecast for Monday and Tuesday. it could help, but also hurt, the situation.

He said the rain forecast for Monday could include lightning while a steady rain is predicted for Tuesday.

“New fires are caused by lightning,” Lowry said.

“Most of Monday’s will be south of where the fires are burning, but on Tuesday it is more widespread rain so that may help the fire conditions.”

“The Canadian, U.S., and European models all agree there will be a decent amount of rain, from 25 to 50 mm. That’s fairly significant.”

Lowry said the smoky conditions peaked in Winnipeg on Saturday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., and, with wind blowing from the south, the situation in Winnipeg should gradually improve.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca