Some evacuees in Manitoba head home, despite wildfires raging in the province

While Environment Canada issued an air quality warning for some northern communities due to wildfire smoke, the over two hundred vulnerable residents who were evacuated from God’s Lake First Nation have returned home, even though the wildfire is still raging out of control.

“They returned home this past weekend, we worked with community leadership to coordinate the flights back in,” explained Jason Small, a spokesperson for the Canadian Red Cross.

Small says there are still around 2,000 evacuees spread between Winnipeg and Brandon, who are still waiting for the smoke and fires to die down before heading home.

Red Sucker Lake First Nation dealt with a scare over the weekend, when the First Nation declared a state of emergency due to a nearby wildfire leaving the community blanketed in smoke and without power.

“Some of the poles were charred and sometimes it will trip the system, but it was out Friday night and they had it back up Saturday night, the power is up and running fine,” explained Earl Simmons, Provincial Wildfire Service Director.

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Simmons says currently there are 74 fires in the province, with one near Marcel Colomb First Nation just four kilometers away from the community. While a timeline of when they could get back wasn’t available, Simmons did say that ten personnel from the United States have been brought in to fight the fire.

“The reports this morning said it’s about 70 per cent contained so we’re getting around the fire and there’s another fire 61, that’s just at the north end of the fire concern, there wrapping that as well, so we are securing that entire area there,” said Simmons.

But there is some good news on the way, according to Environment Canada, rain is expected to head to the area, with hopes that it will filter into Northern Manitoba towards the end of the week.

“This might end up quelching some of the fires in Northern Manitoba with this system and showers, but it doesn’t look like it will get everything under control,” said Stephen Berg, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.