Without local leadership, Leaf Rapids wildfire evacuees 'fending for ourselves,' resident says
'We don't know who to look for for guidance,' evacuee staying in Winnipeg says
Evacuees of a northern Manitoba town surrounded by the threat of nearby wildfires say that without local leadership, they're stuck searching for updates.
The Town of Leaf Rapids told its 300 residents they had 24 hours to get out of the northern community, about 155 kilometres northwest of Thompson, when it declared a local state of emergency on July 7.
Three out-of-control wildfires were within 25 kilometres of the town as of Monday, including one just four kilometres away, according to the province's most recent bulletin.
The town has been without a mayor and council — and has been run by a provincially-appointed administrator — since the council was dissolved in 2019, following the resignations of several members.
That's made things harder for evacuees while they're away from home, said Elizabeth Charrier, one evacuee staying in a Winnipeg hotel alongside others from her community over the last two weeks.
"We don't know who to look for for guidance. We don't know who to ask for help," she told CBC News on Monday.
Charrier says it feels like she and other evacuees are "fending for ourselves" in Winnipeg, with most of them reliant on social media for updates.
The town is posting regular, daily updates for residents on its official Facebook page, including wildfire activity and proximity, wildfire fighting conditions, actions taken to protect the town and upcoming weather forecasts, a provincial spokesperson told CBC News on Tuesday.
The province also works closely with evacuees, and evacuation centres have staff who can provide additional information and support while evacuees are in congregate shelters or hotels, the spokesperson said.
Many residents don't know what they're going to go home to, Charrier said, calling the situation "sad."
"A lot of people own their own homes there," she said. "If they burn, a lot of people don't have insurance, and it's really hard to get it there."
As of Monday, there are 120 active wildfires and there have been 331 to date this fire season. Manitoba's 20-year average for fires for this time of year is 243, the province said.
Provincial officials say there is a fire guard built around Leaf Rapids and firefighters are ready to go if flames get to the community's edge.
'Who are we supposed to go to?'
Ervin Bighetty, also a Leaf Rapids resident, says the town's back trails were bulldozed to create a wider fire break, but that may not solve the problem.
"You know the problem with Leaf Rapids, it was designed to be fully covered in forest," he said Monday.
He's helped to co-ordinate local firefighting efforts in Leaf Rapids, but with no town leadership, Bighetty says residents are being left behind.
"There's currently no mayor and council, there's no government body in charge other than the provincial government and the company that's in charge," he said.
"Who's supposed to take care of us when this is all over? If we have no homes to go to, who are we supposed to go to?"
Charrier shares the same concern.
"We didn't know how long we'd be here for, and we still don't know. Everything's kind of day-to-day," she said.
"I feel like we'd be a little more prepared in these situations if we had someone that we knew we were being guided by."
With files from Felisha Adam