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Hundreds flee as forest fire rages near Sapotaweyak Cree Nation

Close to 500 have been evacuated from Sapotaweyak Cree Nation as crews continue to battle a forest fire nearby. Anne Bourassa/Facebook

A forest fire near Sapotaweyak Cree Nation has forced nearly a third of the community to evacuate.

The Manitoba community is located on Dawson Bay.

Close to 500 people, including the elderly, young families and people with medical conditions have been bused to hotels in The Pas and Swan River.

It’s believed the fire sparked Sunday, but it’s unclear how large it is or what caused it.

Anne Bourassa captured images of smoke billowing in the air and water bombers fighting the flames and posted them to Facebook.

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Bourassa wrote “this is a huge forest fire” and “getting worse by the minute.”

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If the flames continue to spread, a full evacuation could be ordered.

Roughly 1400 people live in the community, which is about 400 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

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