Manitoba wildfire officials are responding to two wildfires near The Pas and Flin Flon, which is causing evacuations, power outages and highway closures.
A Fire Bulletin from Sunday states the Flin Flon fire has grown to approximately 35,000 hectares, 38 KM long and 12 KM wide.
“Air tankers from Manitoba and Saskatchewan have been working on the fire and additional crews from Ontario are expected to arrive in a day or two,” stated the Bulletin.
The fire north of The Pas is 1500 hectares in size and crews are working to protect hydro infrastructure.
“The community of Cranberry Portage began the process of evacuating to The Pas [Saturday] night,” explained the province. “Approximately 500 residents are affected at this time, but that number may increase as conditions change. A reception centre has been established at the Victoria Inn in Flin Flon to support evacuees and assist with accommodations for residents affected by evacuation orders.”
In Saskatchewan, 15 fires are active as of today, leading to poor air quality. The Sask. Public Safety Agency’s Alert is for the following areas:
Hwy 165 between hwys 2 and 914 including Pinehouse Lake, Lac la Ronge Prov. Park including La Ronge, Candle Lake Prov. Park and Narrow Hills Prov. Park, Montreal Lake and Molanosa, Prince Albert Nat. Park, Hwy 135 including Pelican Narrows and Sandy Bay, Seabee Mine, Hanson Lake Road east of Hwy 135 including Creighton, Hanson Lake Road between Hwys 165 and 135 and Cumberland House. The advisory is expected to last until 7 PM this evening.
The La Ronge Emergency Management organization has issued a standby evacuation alert for Hall Lake.
Maurice Ratt, the Emergency Coordinator for the Lac La Ronge Indian Band is asking residents to refrain from using Hall Lake, to allow airtankers access to water supply to fight the nearby blaze.
In the meantime, The Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation posted an update on the fire Sunday night.
PBCN leaders say while some members were evacuated, the fire poses no immediate threats to any PBCN communities.
However, it says the Emergency Response Team is closely monitoring the situation.