300 vulnerable residents in Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation still waiting to be evacuated: deputy chief
U of M expert says wildfire smoke exposure can worsen respiratory symptoms, spike risk of developing diseases
Hundreds of vulnerable residents in northern Manitoba, including dozens living in a personal care home, are still waiting to be evacuated as smoke from multiple nearby wildfires shrouds Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation.
The First Nation declared a state of emergency on Sunday afternoon due to heavy smoke from the surrounding fires. As of Tuesday night, an evacuation order had not yet been issued, but the community is trying to get its more vulnerable residents out due to the smoke.
"On Sunday, smoke in our community was so heavy [that] you couldn't even see our neighbour's house. That's how bad it was," Deputy Chief Marcel Moody told CBC News on Tuesday.
"The conditions are so terrible. It's frightening," he said.
The closest wildfire to the community has burned about 10 hectares near Notigi, just under 30 kilometres away from Nisichawayasihk, according to a fire status report from the province.
The First Nation is located about 60 kilometres west of the city of Thompson, which declared its own state of emergency on Monday. An out-of-control fire north of the city was 5,900 hectares as of Monday, the province said.
Moody said Nisichawayasihk's council has been trying to evacuate all 24 residents of the community's personal care home since the state of emergency was declared. Those individuals are considered Priority 1 evacuees and will be the first to leave, he said.
But Nisichawayasihk council said in a Monday news release that the residents, the majority of them wheelchair users, have been left in limbo after staff from the Canadian Red Cross and Indigenous Services Canada told leadership that there were no hotel rooms available anywhere in Manitoba.
Moody said Red Cross and Indigenous Services officials also told them there was nowhere to send evacuees in Alberta, British Columbia or Ontario.
Moody said council is trying to find accommodations for about 300 high-priority community members, including elders and people with respiratory conditions, chronic health conditions and mobility needs.
"I want to make sure people are safe and healthy, and they're not compromised by the smoke in the community," he said. "People are impacted by the smoke and they want to go."
In a statement to CBC News, a spokesperson for the Canadian Red Cross said it could not speak directly to the organization's efforts to help Nisichawayasihk evacuees, but spoke generally about support provided to Manitobans affected by wildfires.
"Once Red Cross support is requested by community leadership, then Canadian Red Cross works closely with Indigenous leadership and provincial, municipal, and federal governments to assist with support and services for individuals, families, and communities," the Red Cross spokesperson said.
The provincial government said it has met with Nisichawayasihk's leadership and aid partners to try to get evacuees to hotel rooms or congregate shelters in some cases.
CBC News asked Indigenous Services Canada for comment but did not receive a response before publication.
Threat from smoke 'very real': U of M prof
The community is not in imminent danger of the fire itself, but as people across Manitoba experienced this week, poor air quality due to wildfires can cause coughing, irritation, wheezing and chest pains.
Those effects are more acutely felt the closer you get to the fire zone, says University of Manitoba associate professor Chris Pascoe, who specializes in respiratory diseases like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
"Right at the site of the fire, or near the fire, the levels of these particulates can get to the point where respiratory symptoms and health concerns can set in very quickly," Pascoe told CBC.
"If we're feeling it in the city [of Winnipeg] as it's blowing through, I can only imagine what it's like to be right near that," he said.
Pascoe said there's evidence that young people who are exposed to ongoing wildfire smoke are more likely to develop frequent lung infections, and are at a greater risk of developing asthma or other respiratory diseases.
Exposing people who already have chronic respiratory or heart conditions to wildfire smoke may make their symptoms worse, Pascoe said, requiring more extensive medical treatment than usual.
"The threats of health concerns around particulate matter are very real," he said.
As of Tuesday, Nisichawayasihk Deputy Chief Moody said he and council are still waiting to find out where the 300 high-priority community members, including the 24 care-home residents, will be sent.
"Hopefully we don't have to move … everybody, but if we have to, we will. But right now our focus is on the most vulnerable people," he said.
There are more than 3,000 people living in the First Nation, which only has one main road out and no airport.
"There's lots of smoke, and we're scared that [if] the fire comes towards our community … we might get locked in," Moody said.
Until then, he said Nisichawayasihk will be waiting for an answer from the Red Cross and Indigenous Services — and hoping for rain.
"I think they're forecasting for some rain over the weekend. Hopefully we have lots of it," he said.
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.
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With files from Karen Pauls