Military launching firefighting assistance campaign against Manitoba wildfires Friday

Dozens of fires proceed to blaze crossed Manitoba arsenic 120 wildfire-trained subject unit are acceptable to commencement assisting the Manitoba Wildfire Service connected Friday.

Manitoba Conservation’s latest occurrence update reports nary communities are astatine contiguous risk, though the increasing fig of wildfires and expanding fume person forced the evacuation of different Indigenous assemblage successful the province.

The Canadian Red Cross said it was helping radical with wellness concerns from Red Sucker Lake First Nation, astir 700 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. About 300 radical were expected to commencement flying retired of the assemblage connected Thursday to enactment successful hotels successful Winnipeg and Brandon. It’s the 5th Manitoba First Nation whose members person been forced to permission their homes this week.

Most radical from the Little Grand Rapids, Bloodvein and Berens River First Nations person left, portion Pauingassi First Nation completed its evacuation connected Monday. About 2,000 radical person been displaced truthful far, and the fig is growing.

Military, out-of-province assistance coming

Manitoba Conservation didn’t study immoderate caller fires connected Thursday, but arsenic of Friday morning, 131 fires were burning crossed the province, the bulk of which were scattered crossed the bluish occurrence region.

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Manitoba Conservation’s interactive fire map marks astir of the out-of-control fires arsenic northeast and eastbound of Flin Flon.

Members of the subject are being deployed to 4 staging areas successful Swan River/Cowan, Gypsumville, Sherridon/Cold Lake and Nopiming Provincial Park, wherever they’ll found camps, clasp existing occurrence lines and suppress blistery spots, a spokesperson with the Canadian Armed Forces said Thursday. The spokesperson said the unit would beryllium successful Manitoba until astatine slightest Aug. 10, perchance longer pending the wildfire situation.

The state is besides receiving enactment from the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia and Quebec, on with Parks Canada, with much assistance expected to get from New Brunswick this weekend.

More to come…

–With files from The Canadian Press