Red Sucker Lake Anisininew Nation calls for help as nearby wildfire prompts state of emergency

A remote First Nation in northeastern Manitoba has declared a state of emergency on Saturday as a nearby wildfire has left the community blanketed in smoke and without power.

Thick smoke from a wildfire about 40 kilometres west of Red Sucker Lake Anisininew Nation now poses a threat to people's safety, especially young children, elderly people and those suffering from respiratory illnesses, community leaders said in a Saturday news release.

The fire has also caused the community's source of hydroelectricity to stop working.

The situation has put the community in an "unprecedented crisis," prompting an immediate evacuation to be ordered, Chief Samuel Knott said in the release.

Red Sucker Lake is now calling for emergency funding from federal and provincial governments, particularly Indigenous Services Canada.

"We want a backup generator that will [power] the whole community. That's the kind of support that I'm seeking," Knott told CBC on Saturday.

The food in people's fridges and freezers will begin to thaw within a day or two if power isn't restored, which has sent the community into a panic, he said.

"It's a remote, isolated community and the only way out is by flight," Knott said. "It's a very high cost of living up here."

The community also needs emergency funds for things such as food, medical care, transportation and temporary housing as people pack up and leave, the news release says. 

Meanwhile, Manitoba Hydro said in a Facebook post Saturday that crews doing a helicopter patrol "found less damage than there could have been from the wildfire." 

Manitoba Hydro said in the post that if all goes well, the hope is to have power restored to the approximately 300 people impact by the outage by Sunday afternoon. 

Knott said the news was a relief, but noted the community isn't "out of the woods" yet. 

The out-of-control wildfire was one-and-a-half hectares in size when it was first reported on July 19, but has now grown to nearly 30,000 hectares as of Friday, according to the province's wildfire service.

About 300 community members have registered with the Canadian Red Cross, with about 300 more being identified as a priority to be evacuated, he said