Several houses in a first nation in the Northeast of Manitoba have been destroyed by forest fires that have forced almost 200 people to evacuate from the community.
At least seven houses in Tatoskweyak Cree Nation were destroyed on Friday after a fire turned on and extended rapidly due to strong winds, the boss and community council said in A publication on social networks On Saturday.
“Yesterday was an absolutely horrendous day,” said Tataskweyak’s leadership in the statement.
Tataskweyak, also known as Split Lake, declared for the first time an emergency state on May 29 due to a nearby forest fire. The next day, an evacuation order for the community was issued, just over 700 kilometers north of Winnipeg.
On June 17, only a few hours after Tataskweyak announced that he was raising the May evacuation order, the community declared a new state of emergency because its water treatment plant stopped working. The members of the community were asked not to return home until the problems are resolved.
On Friday night, the chief of Tataskweyak, Doreen Spence, urged community members to go to the band’s office for an RCMP escort to the city of Gillam, about 90 kilometers east of Tatakweyak.
The Manitoba 2025 forest fire season in photos:
Some 175 people were taken to the Gillam Recreation Center, according to the Chief and the Tataskweyak council, who also said that Gillam and York Factory Factory First Nation teams were expected in Tataskweyak on Saturday to help fight against the fire.
The 280 highway, which extends from Tataskweyak to the city of Thompson, closed from the intersection of highway 391 to Gilliam due to the fire, said the 511 service of the province.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Defense Group of the First Nation of the North, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, said on Saturday that Marcel Colomb Colest Nation, in the northwest of Manitoba, is also evacuating again due to the forest fire.
Around 600 residents from the nearby city of Lynn Lake began evacuating on Friday, only two weeks after they returned from an earlier evacuation.
The 391 highway, from Lynn Lake to Marcel Colomb First Nation, also closed Friday night due to the fire, according to 511.
Although the province of Manitoba has raised an emergency state throughout the province, its latest Fire Bulletin on Friday said that the western and northeast areas of the province still have a high to high fire danger, with some extreme fire danger pockets.
The Manitoba forest fire service was responding to 64 active forest fires throughout the province as of Friday, and to date there were a total of 205 forest fires, above the average of 176 total fires for this point in the year.
Fire about 8 km from Thompson: Mayor
Meanwhile, southeast of Tataskweyak, a fire that was lit north of Thompson on Friday was about eight kilometers from the city of approximately 13,000 on Saturday, said Mayor Colleen Smook.
“Today, the winds have changed, so they are in our favor,” he told CBC.
“There is no panic situation at this time,” but “anything could change in a matter of hours,” he said.
She encouraged Thompson residents to spend their vehicles and to pack medications, food and other needs in case they have to leave at any time.
Thompson, a center of the North, has historically served as a reception center for the evacuees of forest fires of northern Manitoba, but there have been cases in which forest fires have threatened the city, Smook said.
“The whole north works together to remedy how best we can,” said Thompson Mayor. “The most important thing is to be prepared.”
Find the latest forest fire information in these sources:
Are you an evacuation that needs help? Contact Manitoba 211 Calling 211 from any place in Manitoba or email 211MB@findhelp.ca.
