'This fire is a monster': Mandatory evacuation order issued for Snow Lake, Man., amid wildfire
CBC
The largest active wildfire in Manitoba is forcing all people in a northwestern town out of the community Friday, including two Manitobans who are now escaping the blaze for a fourth time.
A mandatory evacuation order is in effect for the town of Snow Lake, three days after the community about 590 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg declared a local state of emergency.
Anyone still there must be out before noon Saturday, the Town of Snow Lake said in a social media post Friday.
The wildfire threatening Snow Lake was kilometres away earlier this week, but west and northwest winds pushed it toward the town, choking the air with heavy smoke, Mayor Ron Scott told CBC News on Wednesday.
Linda Smith and Tom Allen, who are from Flin Flon, were staying at a camper in Snow Lake and are now among those leaving the town. This is the fourth time they've been under a mandatory evacuation order in just over a week.
WATCH | Evacuees forced out of community because of wildfire for 4th time:
After leaving Flin Flon, they set up a tent at a neighbour's cabin in Bakers Narrows, said Smith.
"Day and a half later, we got evacuated from there and we went to Wekusko Falls," she said. "Then we got evacuated Tuesday."
Smith said she and Allen will now be heading for The Pas.
"It's been hell," Smith said. "It's horrible. Like, you don't know the end in sight."
The blaze threatening Snow Lake is now the largest wildfire in Manitoba, after what were originally separate fires around Sherridon and Flin Flon merged.
Several communities have been put under mandatory evacuation orders because of the fire. The most recent provincial fire bulletin said a two-hour evacuation notice has also now been put in place for Rocky Lake East and Rocky Lake North.
"This fire is a monster," municipal emergency co-ordinator Jodi Cockle said Friday. "It's coming in basically on three sides.… We're just trying to get prepared to keep Snow Lake safe."
The blaze was about 307,800 hectares in size as of the fire bulletin Friday afternoon.
As food bank use continues to climb across the province, front-line workers in Thunder Bay, Ont., are working to improve both food security and education.
More ads could soon be coming to Toronto’s subway system.
The driver wanted in connection with a fatal hit and run on Highway 401 earlier this week has been identified, police say.
There are mixed feelings about the proposed Grays Bay road and port project, among people who live in nearby communities.
WARNING: This story details allegations of child abuse and includes graphic content.
Provincial police in Lambton County have charged a 23-year-old man with second degree murder following a death investigation that began this past Saturday.
The Newfoundland and Labrador government is forming a working group to tackle what it calls systemic issues in the justice system, but answers or solutions could still be months away.
A woman has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death in a 2024 fatal hit and run in Truro, N.S., where the victim was dragged down the street, a case that went unsolved for more than six months.
A stream of people showing up to a brightly lit front porch, each holding up a bottle of wine, spirits, or beer.
Sona Lakhoyan Olivier has been excluded from Quebec’s Liberal caucus for the duration of an investigation led by the National Assembly’s ethics commissioner, the party announced Thursday.
The head of the William Whyte Neighbourhood Association hopes a city plan to crack down on vacant properties leads to a transformation in his community.
Saskatchewan's justice minister is rejecting the latest legislative proposal from the NDP Opposition, one that the NDP says is a necessary check on government power.
The provincial government is proposing sweeping changes to citizen-led referendum questions that could put a stop to an active court case about whether it’s constitutional to ask Albertans if they agree with separating from Canada.