Firefighters in Flin Flon are continuing their efforts to protect the northern Manitoba city from wildfire flames.
As of Monday morning, no structures within city limits had been lost, and officials say the cooler temperatures and rain have helped with the efforts.
Mayor George Fontaine told 680 CJOB the situation has been a difficult one for the Flin Flon evacuees who have moved to safer locations — including Winnipeg and Steinbach — after fleeing the fire.
“They know they don’t belong there (in Flin Flon) right now. It’s tough for all of them … but they’re still appreciative of everything they’re being given,” Fontaine said.
“I went down to Steinbach yesterday to meet some people … they want to be home, but they can’t be home under these conditions, so how tough is it? There’s no choice.”
Fontaine said there have been evacuee meetups in Winnipeg — one of which he attended over the weekend in St. Vital — that have been helping evacuees deal with their temporary new surroundings.
“I did go to one last night … and some people met and it was very, very therapeutic for people to get together,” he said.
The emergency co-ordinator for the RM of Kelsey says it’s been all hands on deck for more than a month now in dealing with wildfires and that communities within the municipality south of Flin Flon didn’t get the amount of rain they were hoping for over the weekend.
“I think we do need those three to four days of just steady rain — I think that’s going to be the best suppression against these fires,” Lori Forbes told Global Winnipeg.
“Crews are working so hard on the edges and the helicopters and the buckets are just consistently going. I think that rain from the sky for about three days would be the trick that we would all love to see right now.”
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Despite a dearth of precipitation, Forbes said the cooler temperatures in recent days are helping firefighters in the west-central part of the province get the upper hand.
Forbes said the RM, which began dealing with wildfires as early as May 3, with a brief break between the first outbreaks and the current state of emergency, is still playing host to more than 200 evacuees from various communities.
According to the Canadian Red Cross, there are now more than 18,300 registered wildfire evacuees in Manitoba. The aid organization is operating two congregate shelter sites in Winnipeg, with space for 1,600 people, while another 1,600 are in hotel rooms.
The Red Cross is also giving emergency supplies to 12 shelter sites in other communities that are hosting evacuees.
Total fundraising numbers as of Friday had hit more than $3.3 million, without accounting for matching funds pledged by the federal and provincial governments.
Tourists are being asked to pause their travel plans to Manitoba due to the ongoing wildfire situation, provincial emergency management minister Lisa Naylor said.
Naylor called the evacuations — which have forced around 21,000 people from their homes and communities in recent weeks, is one of the largest evacuations in Manitoba history.
“We are urging Manitobans and Canadian to reconsider non-essential travel and event plans within Manitoba,” Naylor said at a press conference Monday.
There are thousands of evacuees currently displaced, and the prov govt along with its partners has been working quickly to find accommodations that fit their comfort, medical and family needs.”
The Manitoba Wildfire Service said there have been dozens of charges laid in connection with the fires this season.
The service’s Kristin Hayward said Monday that since the beginning of May, conservation officers have laid 74 charges in connection with the fire, most of which fall under the Wildfires Act or Provincial Parks Act. They’ve also issued 28 warnings.
“(The offences) would be things like entering and area that has been closed, without authorization, it could be setting or lighting a fire without a permit — that could be in a park or outside of a park, and I’m aware that the RCMP has laid arson charges as well,” Hayward said.
Two men were charged with arson in April after Mounties say they started controlled burns that quickly became wildfires. Since then, police have also been involved in an incident at Moose Lake, which saw three children — 12, 13 and 16 years old — arrested after starting grass fires. They were released to their parents’ custody as they a court date.
On May 28, First Nation Safety Officers in the Easterville area found a spray can that had been converted into a homemade firebomb and thrown into the woods. The wildfire it caused was completely extinguished before it had a chance to spread, police said.
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