Pukatawagan loses power, shuts down airport as northern Manitoba wildfires grow

A Manitoba First Nation has declared a state of emergency and another has closed its airport mid-evacuation as wildfires continue to ravage communities in the province's north.

Thousands of residents were stranded in Pukatawagan, also known as Mathias Colomb, after the nearby fire shut down its airport at around 6:30 p.m. CT Thursday, the First Nation's chief said.

The airport closed as winds pushed smoke westward toward the airfield, Chief Gordie Bear said in a phone call with CBC News Thursday.

Bear said about 2,000 people remain in Pukatawagan, which is about 700 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg. It's among the northern Manitoba communities under an evacuation order since Wednesday, when the Manitoba government declared a provincewide state of emergency because of wildfires across the region.

"I hear … there's choppers now, that smoke has engulfed the airport," Bear said. He was on his way to The Pas from Winnipeg to meet evacuees who recently arrived there.

"We're getting desperate now. It's getting rougher. We're going to be heading for the lake … shortly if nothing turns out, if nothing puts the flame out."

The fire near the community was about 9,800 hectares in size and was out of control as of Manitoba's latest update Thursday afternoon. The province's wildfire map showed the blaze just over a kilometre away from the airport as of Wednesday.

Venessa Hart was still in Pukatawagan Thursday evening. She said the airport and surrounding areas were evacuated in case the fire spreads that way.

"The planes are not going to be able to land in this thick smoke," she said, adding that the fire is also not too far from the community itself.

"How they're going to get us out now?" Hart said.

"I'm scared. I'm really scared. My anxiety is through the roof. There's still over 2,000 community members here, like especially women and children and babies, elders."

Bear said about 200 residents were evacuated from the community before the closure Thursday as of the latest headcount.

Rashelle Colomb landed in Brandon Thursday evening. She said her partner is a medical van driver and will likely be one of the last Pukatawagan residents to leave.

"As we were flying over, you could just see the flames and how close it's getting to the airport," Colomb said.