Nearly 17,000 residents have been forced to flee their homes as a series of nearly two dozen wildfires rage across the Canadian province of Manitoba, officials confirm. The fires, stretching from the northwest to the southeast, have led to widespread evacuations, with more than 5,000 residents from the mining city of Flin Flon on the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border among those affected.
Flin Flon, located 650 kilometers north of Winnipeg, has so far seen no fires directly within the city limits. However, authorities warn that shifting wind patterns could carry the blaze into town in the coming days. The city remains on high alert, with officials monitoring weather conditions closely.
Manitoba declared a state of emergency on Wednesday as the wildfires threatened multiple communities. The crisis has also impacted neighboring Saskatchewan and Alberta, where 1,300 residents in Swan Hills northwest of Edmonton have been evacuated. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe announced Saturday that ongoing hot and dry conditions are fueling the fires, with evacuee numbers expected to increase from 8,000 to potentially 10,000.
Resources to combat the fires and support evacuees are stretched thin. Emergency shelters have been established across the province, including one just 20 kilometers from the US border. The wildfire near Flin Flon, which began Monday in Saskatchewan, rapidly crossed provincial boundaries. Efforts to contain the blaze have been hampered by heavy smoke, intermittent grounding of water bombers, and a drone incursion disrupting firefighting operations.
Smoke from the fires has drifted southward, affecting air quality in parts of the US, including Minnesota and Wisconsin, where conditions are deemed unhealthy for both people and animals. The US Forest Service has deployed an air tanker to Alberta and announced that 150 firefighters are being sent to Canada to assist.
US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L Rollins expressed solidarity, stating, “We are here to help our neighbors during their time of need, and our Forest Service Wildland Firefighters are the best in the business. I am thankful for the men and women who are bravely stepping up to serve.”
Canada experienced its worst wildfire season in 2023, with months of destructive fires blanketing much of North America in hazardous smoke. The current wildfire season, which runs from May through September, underscores the increasing severity and frequency of these devastating blazes driven by climate change and prolonged drought conditions.
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