Evacuation 'likely expected' for Leaf Rapids as wildfires threaten northern Manitoba town

Leaf Rapids residents are being told to get ready to leave on short notice as wildfires threaten yet another Manitoba community.

The town announced in a Facebook post at 10 a.m. Sunday that an evacuation is "likely expected," and could come into effect with notice of 10 hours or less.

A fire southwest of the community was more than 5,000 hectares in size as of Saturday, according to the provincial fire map. Another blaze to Leaf Rapids' southeast — near O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation — was about 100 hectares, with the town saying in a previous update it may threaten hydro infrastructure.

Both fires remained out of control as of the latest provincial update.

"I woke up about 6:30 a.m. and it was really smoky outside. You could smell it inside and I was kind of nervous to even go back to bed," Leaf Rapids resident Elizabeth Charrier said.

"My daughter has a cold right now and my son has asthma. So I've just been keeping them in because it is affecting people's breathing.… [there's a] lot of elders here that have health issues."

The town said arrangements for the evacuation are taking place, and further notice will be given to residents once there are any updates.

WATCH | Northern communities forced to evacuate again by fires:

Northern Manitoba communities forced to evacuate again as multiple fires burn

21 days ago

Duration 4:29

A wildfire destroyed at least seven homes and forced nearly 200 people to evacuate from Tataskweyak Cree Nation in northeastern Manitoba, the community's chief and council said in a social media post on Saturday. Additionally, about 600 residents of the nearby town of Lynn Lake began to evacuate Friday, only two weeks after they returned from an earlier evacuation. Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/1.7578243

Charrier said the last few days have been stressful.

"You don't know what's going to happen next," she said. "We keep going for a ride to just check on the smoke."

Provincial Road 391 from Leaf Rapids to Lynn Lake — about 75 kilometres northwest as the crow flies — is closed because of fire and smoke. On Thursday, Lynn Lake residents were ordered to evacuate the community because of the fire there, which was about 80,000 hectares in size.

About 350 people lived in Leaf Rapids as of the 2021 census. The community is about 750 kilometres north of Winnipeg.

Charrier said the situation seems to be more in control than about two years ago, when a wildfire forced the evacuation of the town during a leadership turnover.

"Our vehicles are packed. We're just putting things like pictures we've been going through," she said. 

"Last time we were rushing, there was things we thought of after that could burn … I would have wanted to have with me, but this time, we've got our our important things in a bag and everything's in the vehicle and we're ready to go."

O-Pipon-Na-Piwin evacuations 'running smoothly': Chief

O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation, located about 75 kilometres northeast of Leaf Rapids, began evacuating residents with high-priority medical needs, including those with asthma and respiratory conditions, due to heavy wildfire smoke in the area. 

"The smoke is coming in, and I think more of it is going to be blown in by tomorrow," Chief Shirley Ducharme told CBC News on Sunday, adding the strong smell of smoke has been affecting vulnerable community members' ability to breathe. 

Ducharme said about 80 people were evacuated to Winnipeg on Saturday. She said the Priority 1 evacuation was expected to be completed over the weekend, with about 70 more residents being flown out on Sunday.

"Things are running smoothly. We should be done with our Priority 1s by the end of the day today," she said. 

O-Pipon-Na-Piwin leaders and partners — including Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, Indigenous Services Canada and the Canadian Red Cross — will be debriefing after the priority residents have been safely evacuated.

Then they will decide whether to fly out community Elders, considered to be Priority 2 residents. 

"The smoke is a little stronger today, but next week it's predicted that we will have more intensified smoke in our community," Ducharme said. 

She said an RCMP report from Leaf Rapids is predicting that the fire will cross Highway 391 again, which could affect hydro poles and knock out the power.

If that's the case, Ducharme said leadership will have to consider evacuating the entire First Nation, which is home to about 980 people. 

"We'll wait and see how things go. We might have to move forward with Priority 2 [evacuations]. We haven't made that decision yet," she said Sunday afternoon.

Find the latest wildfire information at these sources:

• 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.