Northern Manitoba community faces evacuation order as wildfire burns out of control
Posted July 15, 2022 2:47 pm.
Last Updated July 15, 2022 2:53 pm.
A community in northern Manitoba has issued an evacuation order due to an ongoing forest fire in the area.
Beverly Linklater with Mathias Colomb First Nation confirms an evacuation order for Pukatawagan was issued on community radio Thursday afternoon.
She says elders and chronically-ill people will be the first to evacuate, with evacuees heading to communities including Cranberry Portage, The Pas, Winnipeg and Swan River.
Northern Manitoba air charter service Missinippi Airways says it will work to help the evacuation.
Manitoba’s wildfire map shows a fire approximately 1,800 hectares in size is burning near Pukatawagan and is listed as out of control.
The province says the fire started on July 13.
As of Friday afternoon, the province stated the following fires were active:
- The Pas – Roughly 40 km south of The Pas, the fire is estimated to be 170 hectares (ha) in area.
- Mathias Colomb Cree Nation – Roughly two km east of Mathias Colomb Cree Nation (MCNN), the fire is estimated to be 10,000 ha.
- East of MCCN – This fire is being assessed.
- Fox Mine – Fire is estimated 2,000 ha.
- Gilliam – Fire is six km from Gilliam and estimated 178 ha.
-With files from the Canadian Press
