Wildfire evacuees staying in Winnipeg all now moved to hotels, province says

Wildfire evacuees in need of accommodations in Winnipeg have all been placed in hotels as of Wednesday morning, the province says.

Congregate shelter sites at the Century and Eric Coy arenas and RRC Polytech in Winnipeg, and the site in Portage la Prairie, will now no longer be used for evacuees.

But the site at the soccer complex on Leila Avenue will keep capacity in case any evacuees need emergency shelter, and Billy Mosienko Arena will remain a 24-hour reception centre, Manitoba's latest wildfire update on Wednesday said.

Earlier Wednesday, a provincial spokesperson said the government is aware of about 130 structures lost to wildfires across Manitoba. However, the province will not provide further details or descriptions of those structures "until we can be sure that the affected individuals have been notified," the spokesperson said in an email.

The south part of Nopiming Provincial Park has also reopened for permanent residents, cottagers and commercial operators, which includes Provincial Road 315, Bird Lake, Booster Lake, Flanders Lake and Davidson Lake. A closure and mandatory evacuation order continues for the rest of the park, and the entire areas of Wallace Lake, South Atikaki and Manigotagan River provincial parks.

There are 21 active wildfires burning across the province — six of which are out of control — and have been 124 to date this year, above the average for this time of year of 118 total fires, the province said. Since May 1, the Manitoba Conservation Officer Service has issued 93 charges and 31 warnings related to wildfires.

The out-of-control fires include one near the northwestern city of Flin Flon, which is about 370,780 hectares, and one in the eastern area of Nopiming Provincial Park, which is about 218,700 hectares, the province said Wednesday.

The Manitoba Wildfire Service is also updating fire and travel restrictions for many parts of the province to Level 2, starting 8 a.m. Thursday. Fire and travel restrictions have also been lifted for a number of provincial parks.

Recent rainfall and a full green-up — green grass with less dead, cured leaves and full leaves on trees — have helped reduce the fire risk in some parts of Manitoba, though other areas are still at high risk, and significant fire suppression operations continue and restrictions remain in place there, the province said. 

The wildfires forced roughly 22,000 from their homes, officials said earlier this week, mainly in the north and north-central regions.

Pimicikamak Cree Nation saw 7,000 forced out, but they are now allowed to go back. Flights have brought people back from Winnipeg, while buses have been chartered for those who were taken to Thompson.

There was still no word on when the 5,000 residents of Flin Flon might be allowed to return. A fire nearby remained out of control and officials said there were hot spots not far from the community.

Anyone going back to a reopened area should be prepared to evacuate again with little notice and should prepare an emergency go kit, as well as remain alert for evacuation notices, the province said.