Leaf Rapids evacuees returning home to continue plea for answers about evacuation 'mayhem'

An evacuation order for the northern Manitoba town of Leaf Rapids has been lifted, the province confirmed on Tuesday afternoon, but an ad hoc committee of evacuees say they will continue their demand for answers and improved response efforts in case they are evacuated again.

Nearly 400 residents of Leaf Rapids were transported out of the community after the town declared a state of emergency on June 26, with a wildfire more than 10,500 hectares in size just eight kilometres east of the community.

Residents were registered as evacuees in the city of Thompson, about 155 kilometres to the southeast of Leaf Rapids. They were put up in hotels and given cheques for food and necessities, the province previously said.

Cecil Sanderson, a member of the Leaf Rapids evacuation committee, was happy to see his home in good shape when he returned on Tuesday evening. Rumours that power had been cut for much of the town and that houses were being vandalized "spread like wildfire" amongst evacuees, he said.

"It was really hard when you're trying to communicate … and people are starting rumours. Everybody was just desperate," Sanderson told CBC News.

Although the province's wildfire map shows the fire still classified as "out of control" as of Monday, a provincial spokesperson said information provided during Tuesday's fire update indicated the fire is moving away from the community.

Sanderson says he and many other evacuees were frustrated with the evacuation process, as they were ordered to leave with little notice and insufficient support when they arrived in Thompson.

"Mayhem — that's exactly what this was, right from the start," he said.

The ad hoc committee of seven evacuees which formed in Thompson will continue to press for answers from leadership in Leaf Rapids, said Sanderson.

"What if there's another fire? What if this flares up again? What if we're watching it for the next four or five days? Of course we're going to stick together," he said.

"We're not going to stop here. We're not going to go through this again.… There has to be a response team set up and ready."

On Tuesday, the provincial spokesperson said planning has been ongoing to ensure everything was ready to help evacuees get home once they could safely do so.

That information is currently being communicated by staff to those in hotels and online, the spokesperson told CBC in an email.

Bus transportation for those who need it is in place and gas vouchers are available for people driving home, the spokesperson said, and another round of cheques for meals will also be available for evacuees to help them until they can get resettled back home.

The spokesperson added that Manitoba Families and Manitoba Health are working to make sure services like employment income assistance and medical prescriptions are not interrupted as evacuees return home.

A team of 17 firefighters who left Minnesota on Monday, on their to help fight the fire near Leaf Rapids, are being deployed to another priority fire north of Grand Rapids, the provincial spokesperson said.