Pimicikamak chief frustrated with residents refusing to flee wildfire, says arrests should be made
CBC
Pimicikamak Cree Nation leaders are still working to get the final few community members to safety as emergency crews fight an out-of-control wildfire, and Chief David Monias is exasperated with residents who've refused to leave.
"We had to really get people out now, because it's really hard to focus on the strategies for fighting this fire when you have to worry about lives, that the people that are still here," he said Tuesday morning.
"They want to bunker down and think that they can survive it, but if those fire embers come in … they don't understand the dynamics of what the fire does and how it behaves. They feel like they're saving their homes."
There are two fires, one on either side of the community, about 520 kilometres north of Winnipeg.
The fire about 13½ kilometres southwest of Pimicikamak is approximately 3,300 hectares and out of control.
Despite the distance, embers the size of Monias's hand have been blowing in from that blaze, and they're still warm when they land, he said.
"Which means that all the fire embers are flying and [potentially] starting new fires. That's what we're scared of."
The other fire, about five kilometres west, is 2,287 hectares in size and also listed as out of control. Monias learned around 5 p.m. Monday that the fire had jumped the lake to the mainland.
"We saw the fire and it was just rolling over on top of the trees. It's going to roll over towards the other escape route, which would cut us off altogether, even to Norway House," he said.
"The other one [is] moving to the north and if it keeps going the same way, it'll come at us … surrounding us."
There are about 50 residents who need to leave, and all have been located, Monias said.
Some can be reasoned with, but there are others who have said they are absolutely not going — even though they have young children, he said.
"They said, 'You're not going to come and get me,' but we are," Monias said.
"We'll be rounding those people up with RCMP and security and safety officers, going around to make sure they get on a plane [on Tuesday]."
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