Mixed emotions as wildfire evacuees are allowed to return home
CTV
Evacuees from Cranberry Portage were allowed to return home Sunday after hundreds were evacuated due to a major wildfire threatening the area.
Evacuees from Cranberry Portage were allowed to return home Sunday after hundreds were evacuated due to a major wildfire threatening the area.
The province announced on Friday that some evacuees would be able to head home as fire crews continued to fight the nearby blaze.
More than 500 people were evacuated from Cranberry Portage, Man., and almost another 200 from the surrounding region.
The areas included Cranberry Portage, and the cottage subdivisions of Whitefish Lake, Twin Lakes, Schist Lake and Sourdough Bay.
David Tait is one of those evacuees. He eventually settled in Winnipeg after leaving his home behind and said it was a whirlwind experience when he and his 11-year-old daughter were told to leave.
"They had the fire department, paramedics, police, all zooming around town with their lights on, and their messages over their loudspeakers saying we had 10 minutes to get out. So it was grab and a bag and get out," said Tait.
After leaving, he said his daughter was having a hard time breathing and ended up in the hospital in The Pas. They spent a few days in Swan River and then eventually ended up in Winnipeg, with the government paying for a hotel room in the city.
