The Canadian province of Manitoba declared a state of emergency after the massive wildfire continues to spread in the province, resulting in evacuation of more than 17000 people.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew announced the decision on Wednesday. The evacuation was essential amid the extreme fire conditions and growing threat to communities across the province.
"The Manitoba government has declared a province-wide state of emergency due to the wildfire situation," Kinew said.
“This is the largest evacuation Manitoba will have seen in most people’s living memory,” he added.
Kinew has requested assistance from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney asking for military support to help with evacuation efforts and firefighting.
He assured that military aircraft are being deployed to move people from danger zones to safety, alongside additional firefighting resources.
Flin Flon, a town in Manitoba and home to about 5,000 residents was among the areas placed under evacuation orders. People there had already been warned to be ready to leave at short notice. Other remote towns and Indigenous communities have also been evacuated, with most residents expected to be relocated to the provincial capital, Winnipeg.
One of the evacuees, Sheryl Matheson described the terrifying scene as wildfires surrounded her hometown of Sherridon.
“It's been overwhelming. It was very smoky. You could see the fires four or five kilometers away and moving fast,” she told AFP.
“The flames were shooting over 121 feet high and firefighters couldn’t get close enough to do anything”, she added.
Another resident, Elsaida Alerta, who has lived in Flin Flon for three years, said the evacuation was extremely stressful.
"Especially for somebody that lived in a big city (previously), that never had to evacuate, this is definitely nerve-wracking," she told CBC.
She described the only highway out of town as jammed with traffic, with gas stations running dry.
“We basically gathered all our essential things, important documents, medications and things our animals will need,” she said.
"We're just gonna make our way and hope for the best", she added.
Premier Kinew said the scale of the fires is a warning sign. "For the first time, it's not a fire in one region, we have fires in every region. That is a sign of a changing climate that we are going to have to adapt to," Kinew said.
There are currently 22 wildfires active in the province. According to Kirstin Hayward of the Manitoba wildfire service, "The wildfire has affected nearly 200,000 hectares of forests that have been scorched in just the past month, or triple the annual average over the previous five years."
"Manitoba has the highest fire activity in Canada so far this year, due in part to a prolonged period of warm and dry conditions," she added.
About 1,000 residents of Lynn Lake and Marcel Colomb First Nation in Manitoba and 4,000 people from the northern village of Pelican Narrows and other communities in neighboring Saskatchewan had already been evacuated earlier in the week.
Across Canada, 134 wildfires are burning, with half considered out of control. Fires are active in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario.
Earlier this month, two people died in a wildfire near Lac du Bonnet, northeast of Winnipeg. In 2023, Canada experienced its worst wildfire season on record. The only reported deaths were among firefighters.
Kinew said emergency shelters are being set up. Companies and communities across Manitoba were being asked to welcome the evacuees.