The wildfire situation has reached a desperate level in Flin Flon, Man., where the mayor says he and the few remaining people have been told to leave because the winds are changing and there’s nothing else they can do.
George Fontaine said he expects the worst.
“We’ve seen devastation across the country in different communities where this has happened, and there’s a very, very high potential that it’s going to happen here,” he told Heather Hiscox on CBC Morning Live on Friday, referring to what happened in Jasper, Alta., last summer.
“The prognosis that we’re hearing is that the winds are going to change and turn that fire back towards our community, and it could be very catastrophic if that happens,” he said. “It’s got a straight path into here.”
The fire is 40,000 hectares in size and less than 400 metres from the edge of the city, the city’s emergency measures spokesperson said.
Flin Flon, Man., Mayor George Fontaine says people from the community are being asked to leave by noon Friday as wildfire threatens the community. ‘Everybody has to be gone,’ he said. ‘Then we’re going to have to just see what nature does.’
There’s not even an option for a mitigation strategy, such as soaking structures with industrial sprinklers, Fontaine said.
“They’ve done what they can for the major things, like for our bulk fuel plants … but there is no equipment left. It’s all being used up [to fight fires in other places around the province]. There is none.”
As of Thursday (the most recent update from the province), there were 22 active wildfires in Manitoba. There have been a total of 103 already this season, far above the province’s 20-year annual average of 80 at this time of year.
More than 17,000 people are being evacuated from northern, western and eastern regions of the province.
The Manitoba FireView map includes locations, sizes and other information about the wildfires.
In Flin Flon, water bombers haven’t been able to help, because it’s too smoky for them to fly, Fontaine said.
“So, you know, everybody has to be gone, and then we’re going to have to just see what nature does,” he said. “Everyone’s really fearful.”
The vast majority of the city of about 5,000 in northwestern Manitoba was cleared out on Wednesday. Some members of city council and some civic employees and emergency responders had remained to monitor things and give updates on social media.
The winds had been favourable on Thursday, pushing the flames away from the city, but that’s about to change and everyone must get out today, Fontaine said.
“The wind isn’t set to shift to later in the day, so that should give us time to drive out. Once we drive away, that’s it. I’m not sure when we’ll be able to come back in here — when or if,” he said.
“I don’t want to sugarcoat anything. I’d love to be back on the … TV with you sometime in the near future and say, wow, we’ve dodged a bullet. But at this particular point in time, you know, it’s not looking good at all.”
And there’s only one way out for those who remain. The road to the west, across the border into Creighton, Sask., is blocked by the fire, and Highway 10 to The Pas is also blocked by flames now.
The latter route was the one evacuees took out of Flin Flon on Thursday.
“So we have to head from where we are to Snow Lake and then down south towards Grand Rapids and to Winnipeg that way,” Fontaine said.
At this point, he doesn’t know if anyone in Flin Flon has decided to ignore evacuation orders and hide. He urges anyone who might be doing that to get on the bus that is set to take away the last people at 11 a.m. CT.
“If not, they’re going to be at mercy of whatever nature brings,” he said.
“If this goes the way that it’s projected it could go — we’ve seen the pictures of communities like Jasper — and there’d be nowhere to go.”
Danny Aymont moved to Flin Flon from Winnipeg at the start of this year “for a quieter life.” He’s spent the past two nights in a motel in Dauphin and was preparing to get back on the road, travelling with his brother’s in-laws, a dog and three cats.
“It’s surreal, to say the least,” he said.
It’s the first time he’s experienced a forest fire, despite years spent fishing in provincial parks.
He’s crossing his fingers the flames will miss Flin Flon but is resigned to whatever happens.
“I’ve been a lucky guy most of my life and I’m hoping for a little bit more,” he said. “It’s going to be hit or miss — it’s Mother Nature, what can you do?
“Hopefully, if the worst does happen, they’re willing to rebuild that place. It’s beautiful. That’s why I went there.”
Aymont lives with his brother and sister-in-law, who both work in Snow Lake for weeks at a stretch, while he takes care of the house and pets.
His brother and sister-in-law are still in Snow Lake, so Aymont is on the road with his sister-in-law’s parents.
Nadine Christopherson, his sister-in-law’s mother, has lived in Flin Flon for more than 60 years, and this is her first evacuation, she said.
“If you live in the north, you put up with bush and all the critters but you never expect to get wiped out,” Christopherson said.
Like Aymon, she’s trying not to let her worries get the best of her.
“Day by day — that’s all you can do is take things day by day. You can’t get frustrated, can’t get mad, can’t get upset. You’re just working yourself into a heart attack,” she said.
“It’s very stressful, but you just take your time and breathe. It’s totally out of everybody’s control.”
Are you an evacuee who needs assistance? Contact Manitoba 211 by calling 211 from anywhere in Manitoba or email [email protected].
