Wildfire prompts evacuation of vulnerable people from northern Manitoba First Nation

A wildfire in northern Manitoba has prompted the evacuation of elders, children and families from the community of Marcel Colomb First Nation.

Water bombers are currently responding to the 100-hectare fire detected Tuesday afternoon located east of Marcel Colomb First Nation, a community about 800 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, says a provincial spokesperson.

The First Nation's chief administration officer, Don McCallum, says about 50 out of 300 people from the northern community have been evacuated to the nearby town of Lynn Lake.

The partial evacuation is focused on getting elders, children and their families to the Lynn Lake Arena, he said. The hope is that they'll be able to return Wednesday morning, because the fire now appears to be under control and moving away from the community, said McCallum.

There were four water bombers deployed from Thompson along with a ground crew working to contain the blaze, he said. 

"We don't have much of the smoke but you can just see it, it's just right there like a mile away, two miles away," McCallum said. "The wind is blowing it the other way, not our way, which is a very good thing, because if it was blowing this way towards the town we definitely would have had to evacuate [entirely] and probably the fire would be right upon us."

The town of Lynn Lake is prepared to help potential evacuees from the First Nation, located about 35 kilometres away, says Mayor Brandon Dulewich.

"Some members are coming into our community right now. We have set up our Lynn Lake Arena to intake people," Dulewich said. "We're not sure right now if it's a permanent stay, but we're set up for a short stay at the moment."

It is difficult to communicate and stay apprised of the situation because there is no cellular coverage in their communities, Dulewich said. He added a fire last year knocked out a lot of the satellite internet due to smoke cover in the sky.

Fire out of nowhere

McCallum found out a blaze erupted near Marcel Colomb First Nation when someone came running to the band office warning them there was a giant fire on the horizon, he said.

"It just picked up this morning.… We didn't see no smoke or anything, and then all of sudden two o'clock this afternoon there was this big, huge smoke going up into the air," McCallum said. "You could just see a smoke pillar and a white cap on top that tells us that it was a very big fire." 

Within about two hours, the community assembled at Marcel Colomb First Nation's band office administration building in case a full evacuation became necessary, he said.

Door-knocking was also conducted to ensure people were safe and had immediate access to transportation in case of evacuation, McCallum said.

Volunteers ready to help

Dulewich said there are emergency measures Lynn Lake refers to for evacuations like the one underway, but when it comes to assisting other communities, there is nothing structured.

There are already some Lynn Lake volunteers on site helping with the partial evacuation.

"We've got a great community up here and a lot of volunteers that I'm sure will make their stay as good as possible," Dulewich said.

A provincial spokesperson says Manitoba's Emergency Management Organization has been advised of the fire and will lead further communication with communities about any evacuations.

Marcel Colomb First Nation might be safe now, but the community must remain cautious because fire is unpredictable and the wind can change at any time, McCallum said.

The band office will remain open overnight, and the emergency management team and security will be available in case the fire changes and creates an emergency, he said. Marcel Colomb First Nation also has a bus available in case there is a need to transport people. 

"We don't want to take any chances," McCallum said. "We'll be on watch 24/7 until we know it's very safe."