Massive northern Manitoba wildfire 'a very dramatic, serious situation,' premier says after touring area

Premier Wab Kinew toured areas near an out-of-control wildfire in northwestern Manitoba on Tuesday to meet with people and hear impacts of the blaze first-hand.

The fire, just north of Cranberry Portage and east of Flin Flon, is believed to have been started by lightning strikes and was first detected last Thursday. It was intensified by high winds and extremely dry conditions over the weekend, forcing the community of Cranberry Portage to be evacuated.

In a Tuesday afternoon update, the province said the fire was about 31,600 hectares in size and about 1½ kilometres from Cranberry Portage.

Kinew visited Bakers Narrows, Flin Flon and The Pas to speak with evacuees, first responders and leaders impacted by the fires, which he also got a look at from above during a helicopter ride.

WATCH | Premier tours wildfire area:

"It's a very dramatic, serious situation," Kinew told reporters in The Pas.

"When you see how close it got to Cranberry [Portage], when you can see Flin Flon in the background while you're in the midst of very thick smoke, it does really underline how unique it is."

Air tankers and helicopters with buckets have been fighting the fire, the latest provincial fire bulletin said. The extent of the blaze can be viewed on the provincial government's interactive fire map.

"I think the thing that stands out to me is how early in the year we are," Kinew said, adding that some firefighters told him Manitoba's wildfire season usually begins after the May long weekend.

"There's a tremendous effort going on to fight these wildfires right now and it is going to continue to be a serious situation for some time."

The premier also thanked some of the five additional crews from Ontario that arrived in the area Tuesday. Another crew is expected to arrive Wednesday, the province said.

Firefighters from Saskatchewan have also been helping, and more are expected from Quebec, according to Kinew.

"It really is a joint effort," he said. "That's what Canadians do in times of need, we help one another out, and so our hope is that we'll be able to manage this situation and then lend a hand in other parts of the country in the future."

Although Manitoba's NDP government was criticized Monday for the $50 million it set aside for emergency management in this year's provincial budget, Kinew says his government will make sure "every resource goes out the door" to put out the fires and help evacuees.