Hundreds of evacuees return home, weeks after being forced out due to wildfire smoke

Vulnerable residents who were evacuated from three First Nations communities in northern Manitoba are returning home, weeks after heavy smoke billowing from an out-of-control wildfire forced them out. 

The Canadian Red Cross said it is assisting Manto Sipi Cree Nation, Wasagamack First Nation and Red Sucker Lake Anisininew Nation to bring back vulnerable residents who were evacuated in late July.  

"We're happy they are home now," Manto Sipi Cree Nation Chief Michael Yellowback told CBC News. 

"Our elders, our young ones … they are glad to be back," he said. "They really missed home." 

A partial evacuation began at Manto Sipi Cree Nation two weeks ago after a heavy cloud of wildfire smoke enveloped the community in northeastern Manitoba. The smoke worsened air quality and halted incoming flights due to poor visibility. Health concerns for vulnerable residents with respiratory problems forced the evacuation of over 200 people from the Manto Sipi Cree Nation to Brandon and Winnipeg.

Yellowback said the wildfire smoke started receding last week amidst a shift in the winds and steady precipitation since the long weekend in August — clearing the air enough to start bringing evacuees back over the weekend. 

Residents flew back nearly 700 kilometres to Manto Sipi Cree Nation from Brandon on Saturday. Return flights continued on Sunday from Winnipeg. Yellowback said at least 275 evacuees returned to the community between the two days. 

Fewer than 20 residents, who are still out of the community, will return in the last flights slated for Wednesday, Yellowback said.

"There's still smoke here, but not as thick as we previously experienced," he said. "We're expecting rain as well in the next couple of days … we expect [it] will address that forest fire." 

The wildfire south of Gods Lake, which forced thousands to evacuate from a total of five First Nations communities, is still burning out of control. Over the last week, data from the province shows the blaze has grown by roughly 5,000 hectares, stretching to just over 35,000 hectares on Sunday. 

'A blessing': Wasagamack evacuees come back

More than 1,000 vulnerable residents from Wasagamack First Nation, Red Sucker Anisininew Nation and God's Lake First Nations and St. Theresa Point First Nation were forced out due to the wildfire smoke in a string of evacuations that began in late July until the first week of August.  

Evacuations have since been halted, and the Canadian Red Cross said all evacuated residents from St. Theresa Point First Nation and God's Lake First Nation have returned home.

Wasagamack First Nation Chief Walter Harper told CBC News Tuesday that nearly half of the evacuated residents have returned home. 

The wildfire smoke forced the partial evacuation of the Wasagamack First Nation on July 27. With air quality worsening, at least 800 vulnerable residents were sent more than 450 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg.

"We have some people that are monitoring the fire, taking a helicopter ride and just checking to see if there was a threat or being a danger to our community," Harper said. 

"They haven't seen much fire activity lately," he said, adding that prompted the band council to start working with the Red Cross to bring evacuees during the weekend and Monday. 

As evacuees returned, smoke billowing from the wildfire rolled back to the community. But Harper said with constant shifts in the winds, the smoke comes and goes from the community, no longer posing a "threat or danger" to vulnerable residents. 

The chief said roughly 250 residents have since returned home, and hundreds more are expected to be back this week.

"It was a blessing to hear that our elders are coming back. I'm just glad that everybody is OK," he said. "Hopefully, we're going to get everyone back here within two days."

But just as when evacuations began, the chief said bringing residents back has been challenging. Wasagamack First Nation is inaccessible by roads, and without a local airport, evacuees had to fly from Winnipeg to Saint Mary's Island in St. Theresa's Point First Nation. Evacuees, many of them using wheelchairs, then boarded boats riding back to the community, a concern for Harper. 

"We are very grateful the weather's been good, but if it was really rough and windy, we would have a very big challenge even for these elders that are going across on the boat," he said. "It gets really, really difficult."

Marcel Colomb evacuees not returning home yet

Manitoba wildfire service continues battling 63 active fires, 13 of them burning out of control by Tuesday, the province said. 

One of those wildfires, east of Lynn Lake, forced the full evacuation of Marcel Colomb First Nation almost three weeks ago. According to the province, the blaze hasn't grown since it tripled in size last week, sitting at just over 3,500 hectares. 

The threat of the wildfire continues and with it evacuated residents from Marcel Colomb First Nation remain out of the northeastern Manitoba community, the Canadian Red Cross said Tuesday.