First Nations call for more equipment as Pukatawagan battles wildfire with hoses used to flood rink

Arturo Chang · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 03, 2025 1:56 PM EDT | Last Updated: 24 minutes ago

First Nations successful bluish Manitoba are asking for much instrumentality arsenic they proceed battling wildfires that helped trigger a provincewide authorities of exigency past week.

People successful Pukatawagan Cree Nation resorted to warring the occurrence with hoses "no bigger than a plot hose," including immoderate usually utilized on the community's hockey rink, Chief Gordie Bear said astatine a quality league Tuesday morning.

"We person basal fire, we person occurrence blistery spots coming retired of immoderate places two, 3 days aboriginal due to the fact that we got nary water," Bear said. "If we had h2o to [douse] these small blistery flames out, we'd drawback up to the fire."

The occurrence successful Pukatawagan — besides known arsenic Mathias Colomb Cree Nation — has been progressive since May 27 and was reported at 9,785 hectares in Tuesday's provincial fire bulletin.

As of Monday evening, the assemblage was moving to combat the out-of-control flames with lone 2 occurrence trucks, 3 portable Mark-3 occurrence pumps and astir 2,000 feet (roughly 600 metres) of hose, Bear said.

"Years ago … we had shovels, we had pickaxes, we had Pulaskis [firefighting axes]. We don't person immoderate of that," helium said. "Absolutely thing from the Department of Natural Resources for occurrence suppression. Again, we accidental we person thing but hoses for our gardens, rakes for the lawns — thing to combat fires with."

Fifty pumps, 1,500 1.5-inch hoses and 500 sprinklers had been mobilized to Manitoba arsenic of Tuesday, according to unsmooth estimates successful the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre's latest regular occurrence concern report.

South of Pukatawagan, Pimicikamak Cree Nation Chief David Monias said his assemblage is moving with lone 1 occurrence truck as it looks to support section spot with a wildfire "by our doorstep."

"For a assemblage of 10,000 people, that's ridiculous.… We're warring adjacent conscionable to get h2o bombers," Monias said.

"We person a authorities of exigency provincewide, and we're inactive warring for resources when they should beryllium coming readily."

The wildfire adjacent Pimicikamak — besides known arsenic Cross Lake — was astir 2,300 hectares successful size arsenic of the latest bulletin. Monias said Pimicikamak was moving to get the past members retired of the assemblage connected Tuesday.

WATCH | Military cognition flies radical retired of Pukatawagan:

In an emailed connection Tuesday, the Manitoba government said provincial officials are successful regular interaction with section occurrence authorities to measure instrumentality and unit needs. Pumps and hoses person been provided to Pukatawagan, and the province is reviewing Pimicikamak's occurrence motortruck petition and considering options with exigency effect partners, the connection said.

It besides said members of the bureau of the occurrence commissioner and municipality search-and-rescue teams have been stationed successful First Nations communities, wherever they're mounting up sprinklers and warring fires alongside the section occurrence departments.

The state said h2o bombers have astatine times been grounded because of fume implicit the past couple of days successful areas including Pukatawagan, but they've been utilized connected respective fires whenever possible.

Resources travel and spell depending connected the situation, but significant fire suppression efforts person been deployed, the state said.

Garrison Settee, expansive main of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, which represents First Nations successful the province's north, says the communities didn't person the basal tools to combat fires that whitethorn person prevented the concern from getting to this point.

"It's similar trying to combat a occurrence with a h2o pistol," Settee said astatine Tuesday's quality conference.

"That's what our firefighters were faced with — not being capable to fight this occurrence due to the fact that they bash not person the due equipment, and they did not enactment themselves into that situation," helium said, adding that the national and provincial governments request to proactively hole for wildfires.

WATCH | 'It's similar trying to combat a occurrence with a h2o pistol,' MKO main says:

Pukatawagan has evacuated everyone but astir 50 indispensable workers, Chief Bear said. Emergency co-ordinator Tobi Bighetty said 1,350 radical were relocated, with lone a fewer inactive remaining successful The Pas, astir 200 kilometres southbound of Pukatawagan.

Bighetty said too those who drove themselves, 240 evacuees were sent southbound connected Via Rail, 600 were bused retired and the remainder were flown retired connected Hercules and King Air planes.

Pukatawagan is astir 700 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg arsenic the crow flies. Pimicikamak is astir 500 kilometres northbound of the Manitoba capital.

Find the latest wildfire accusation astatine these sources:

• Canadian wildfire map
• Province of Manitoba occurrence bulletins
• CBC's wildfire tracker

Are you an evacuee who needs assistance? Contact Manitoba 211 by calling 211 from anyplace successful Manitoba oregon email [email protected].