Northern wildfires force another 'stressful' evacuation of Lynn Lake, hundreds touch down in Brandon

Hundreds of people from Lynn Lake flew into Brandon Friday afternoon as the northern Manitoba community deals with its second wildfire-induced mass evacuation in just over a month.

A notice on the town's Facebook page at 10 p.m. Thursday said a mandatory evacuation of Lynn Lake's 600 residents would begin Friday, only two weeks after they returned from an earlier evacuation.

"It was a little stressful but we got it done," said Trent Farrow, who touched down in Brandon Friday afternoon with his girlfriend and their seven children.

Farrow said they hadn't even finished unpacking before having to leave again.

"We were in the middle of cleaning our house still," he said. "My place was broken into when I wasn't home the first time.… Nothing missing, but it's just odd."

Buses and planes took residents to Brandon, nearly 800 kilometres south of Lynn Lake, as opposed to the northern city of Thompson, where they went after the evacuation order issued on May 27. That order was lifted on June 20.

Lynn Lake Mayor Brandon Dulewich said during the previous evacuation, some residents stayed at a congregate shelter on cots, with only access to group showers, but this time they're going to hotels.

"[It was] not very good living conditions for the citizens of Lynn Lake, and they were not given hotel rooms," he told Radio-Canada.

"We, at that time, seen other communities being evacuated, airlifted straight to Winnipeg, going right into hotel rooms, while our citizens lived on cots, very little blankets, pillows, communal showers."

The town's Facebook page suggested Friday that some residents might be first bused to Thompson, where they would catch a flight to Brandon.

A wildfire that started from a lightning strike three days ago is responsible for the latest evacuation, Dulewich said.

That fire is being pushed by strong winds and may destroy power poles, cutting electricity to the town, the mayor said.

"The [hydro] line, we're pretty sure, is not accessible by equipment due to the swamps and that, so it'll be all airlifts to restore [power] once [the fire] is out," he said.

As of late Thursday, the fire was about two kilometres from the transmission line that feeds Lynn Lake power, said Scott Powell, director of corporate communications with Manitoba Hydro.

The community was still getting electricity into Friday afternoon, said Powell, but maintaining it depends on favourable weather conditions.

"We remain hopeful that the winds will shift and maybe blow that fire away from the transmission line, but it's certainly a very difficult situation and our thoughts are with the people of Lynn Lake," said Powell.

Dulewich said evacuees may be out of the community for as long as a month this time.

The first mandatory evacuation order for the community, about 800 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, came amid a scourge of wildfires that triggered a provincewide state of emergency in May.

That state of emergency was lifted June 23, as conditions improved and many evacuees were able to return to home, though several communities remained on high alert, including Lynn Lake.

An out-of-control fire near the community was 71,860 hectares, the latest provincial fire bulletin said on Thursday. 

Find the latest wildfire information:

• Canadian wildfire map.
• Province of Manitoba fire bulletins.
• CBC's wildfire tracker.
• Communities under evacuations in Manitoba.

Are you an evacuee who needs assistance? Contact Manitoba 211 by calling 211 from anywhere in Manitoba or email 211mb@findhelp.ca.