The northern Manitoba community of Snow Lake remains under threat of fire, according to the town’s mayor.
Around 1,000 Snow Lake residents were ordered to evacuate this week in efforts to escape an out-of-control nearby wildfire, and Mayor Ron Scott says the town is at the mercy of the weather.
“We had north winds overnight, so that sort of stalled the fire a little bit coming in our direction, pushed it a little bit to the south,” Scott told 680 CJOB’s Connecting Winnipeg.
“Of course, the winds are constantly changing, and we’re looking at westerly winds pushing it towards us again.”
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Scott stayed behind with other emergency personnel and said he plans to leave for The Pas on Friday afternoon. Only essential personnel remained behind in Snow Lake after the bulk of the population evacuated.
The nearby wildfires — last estimated to be more than 7,300 hectares in size — are pushing closer and closer to the community’s borders.
“Flames are about five kilometres west-south-west of the Lalor mine, and that mine is about three to five kilometres from Snow Lake, so it’s getting close,” Scott said.
Premier Wab Kinew announced Thursday that a provincewide state of emergency has been renewed in Manitoba, as wildfires continue to rage.
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