As Manitoba wildfires rage, premier asks more people to evacuate
Global News
The roughly 600 residents of Cranberry Portage in northwestern Manitoba were placed under a mandatory evacuation order because fire had knocked out power to the community.
More people in northern Manitoba were told to leave their homes Saturday and Saskatchewan’s premier warned the number of evacuees in his province will likely climb as wildfires continued to threaten communities and send thick smoke into the air.
The roughly 600 residents of Cranberry Portage in northwestern Manitoba were placed under a mandatory evacuation order because fire had knocked out power to the community — a situation expected to last for days.
People in a few smaller communities nearby were put on a two-hour evacuation notice after a fire jumped across a highway.
“Please start getting ready and making plans to stay with family and friends as accommodations are extremely limited,” Lori Forbes, the emergency coordinator for the Rural Municipality of Kelsey, posted on social media.
An evacuation of Pimicikamak Cree Nation in Manitoba, which started earlier in the week, ramped up further on Saturday. Officials were expecting five flights to leave for Winnipeg by the end of the day.
“The wildfire has crossed the main road, and the area remains filled with smoke and ash,” Chief David Monias wrote on Facebook.
Manitoba’s Indigenous leaders, including Monias, told a news conference on Saturday that hotel rooms in the cities where evacuees are arriving are full, and they called for politicians like Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Wab Kinew to issue a directive to hotel owners to give evacuees priority.
Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson said it was one of the largest evacuations in the province since the 1990s.
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