Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation pauses evacuation, Leaf Rapids lodge owners relieved after fire misses property
About 1,300 people on evacuation alert will stay put for now, says NCN deputy chief
Winds shifting in a positive direction have Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation in northern Manitoba pausing its wildfire evacuation, while the operators of a lodge northwest of Leaf Rapids are thankful a fire narrowly missed their property.
About 2,500 Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation residents were forced to leave over the weekend as wildfire threatened the only road into the community, located about 600 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg. Others were expecting to leave, but conditions have improved slightly and as a result evacuations have been paused.
"We're delaying the evacuation until further notice until we get more updates in terms of what's happening with the fires," NCN Deputy Chief Marcel Moody told CBC News on Tuesday. "The winds have shifted in our favour, and hopefully we get rain."
Moody said the decision was made late Monday afternoon after a briefing with provincial wildfire officials. The improved situation means the roughly 1,300 people on evacuation alert who remain in NCN can stay for now, said Moody.
He said many evacuees are in Winnipeg, where they'll remain for the time being.
"Right now the situation is a little bit better than Saturday and that's the reason why we evacuated our people starting Saturday, but the situation has improved but it could get worse very quickly too."
"It really depends on what's happening. Hopefully we want to get our people back as soon as possible, but for the most part I think we want to keep them there until we have the situation under control."
Manitoba is in the midst of its worst wildfire season in about three decades and remains under a provincewide state of emergency.
Manitoba's wildfire services map suggests there are at least two wildfires burning north of Nisichawayasihk, with one having grown to more than 46,000 hectares by Sunday.
Wildfires have produced one of the smokiest years on record in many parts of Manitoba. Much of the north and central parts of the province were under air quality warnings on Monday.
Moody said there is a fire guard set up in an area near NCN to help stop or slow the fire from creeping closer to the community.
"The risk has been minimized I think, but you never know," said Moody.
'"It's mostly the smoke that we're concerned about in our community ... We don't know [what] the long-term impacts of smoke is going to be on our people but I imagine it's not very good."
Dawn Halcrow said she hopes evacuees from the north who are now in Winnipeg remain optimistic, adding it's safer for them to not be in fire-threatened territory right now.
"In and around Leaf Rapids, the fire is so big ... the winds were crazy," Halcrow said Tuesday. "There's power lines down and a lot of burned trees everywhere."
She and her partner run Churchill River Lodge, about 11 kilometres north of Leaf Rapids.
Fires forced that community, about 100 kilometres northwest of NCN, to evacuate just under a month ago.
Several flare-ups, exacerbated by shifting wind conditions, contributed to the loss of a home, vehicles and abandoned structures, and a power outage, in July.
Last week, Halcrow and her partner watched as a raging wildfire threatened her business.
The pair fled by boat and waited on the water for hours until it was safe to head ashore.
"It was a little scary seeing the flames so high in my backyard ... a bit concerned for our safety," said Halcrow. "We hit the water and [had] the longest six hours in the boat."
Halcrow said the the main structures on the lodge property were untouched.
"It was very emotional. I cried walking back in. I don't know how many times we drove away in the boat and I wasn't sure what I was going to come back to," said Halcrow.
"This is my whole life ... The land and people and everyone involved here are very dear to me," she said.
"Very relieved that the place is still here and that everybody, most importantly, is safe, because a lot of people put their lives on the line fighting this fire."
With files from Josh Crabb and Gavin Axelrod