Flin Flon, Lynn Lake evacuees set to return home as wildfire threat eases

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 19, 2025 10:55 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

Thousands of wildfire evacuees are acceptable to instrumentality to their homes successful northwestern Manitoba successful the coming days, arsenic Lynn Lake lifts its evacuation bid and Flin Flon moves to rescind its own.

Flin Flon Deputy Mayor Alison Dallas-Funk announced connected a video connected societal media Thursday day the metropolis expects to statesman re-entry Wednesday astatine 9 a.m., allowing astir 5,100 radical who escaped what's currently the largest wildfire successful the state conscionable implicit 3 weeks ago.

The metropolis said politician and assembly volition conscionable Monday to officially rescind the evacuation order, so long arsenic there's nary unexpected occurrence behaviour and there's nary hitches to the re-entry plan.

"We've made our dates and our last determination connected our re-entry program based connected the occurrence enactment and behaviour arsenic of late," Dallas-Funk said successful the video, adding that the metropolis expects to person each indispensable services staffed and afloat functioning this weekend.

"We're truly gladsome to springiness our assemblage this information, but delight [be advised] that not everything volition beryllium up and moving 100 per cent and we request to beryllium diligent astir that."

Dallas-Funk said the metropolis volition person constricted health-care services and people who necessitate X-rays oregon aesculapian attraction specified arsenic dialysis should see delaying their return. 

She said grocery stores volition besides deficiency supplies. Some radical volition beryllium allowed backmost into the assemblage starting Friday to reopen "secondary enactment businesses" similar hardware and covering stores, restaurants arsenic good as automotive and shipping services.

"Hydro is afloat functioning. So is our compartment communication," Dallas-Funk said. "We volition person pharmacy here. We bash person state station."

The occurrence adjacent Flin Flon was astir 370,780 hectares arsenic of the province's latest occurrence bulletin.

A occurrence astir 10 kilometres from Bakers Narrows Provincial Park southbound of the metropolis was approximately 7,200 hectares and was besides retired of control.

"Please beryllium cautious [Wednesday], the highways are going to beryllium highly busy. Also delight bring immoderate essentials with you if you can," Dallas-Funk said. 

Lynn Lake to statesman re-entry Friday morning

Earlier Thursday night, the municipality of Lynn Lake announced successful different Facebook station it was lifting its ain order.

The municipality said successful a Facebook post that residents tin instrumentality location arsenic of Friday astatine 8 a.m.

Buses are being arranged for those who request assistance, and municipality officials volition beryllium successful interaction with those individuals, according to the Facebook post.

Officials are telling residents, however, they indispensable beryllium acceptable to evacuate with small announcement if occurrence conditions worsen.

Lynn Lake Mayor Brandon Dulewich said the pending instrumentality to their municipality brings an "overwhelming feeling of joy" for him, arsenic good arsenic the evacuees who spent a fewer weeks sleeping connected cots successful a makeshift structure successful Thompson, much than 200 kilometres away.

"They've been retired of the assemblage for I deliberation 24 days now, but we've been trying to bring you location forever."

Dulewich said the evacuation bid would person been rescinded earlier if health-care services successful the municipality of astir 600 radical could person been restored faster. The exigency section opened again connected Thursday, the politician said.

The occurrence adjacent Lynn Lake is implicit 71,000 hectares and remains retired of control, according to the provincial occurrence bulletin.

Earlier successful the day, Kristin Hayward, adjunct lawman curate of the Conservation Officer Service and the Manitoba Wildfire Service, said the north fractional of the blaze is actively burning but the southbound part, person to the community, is looking better.

The town said connected Facebook that "hot spots" from the wildfire remain adjacent to the community.

"There is simply a continued hazard of fume and falling ash, particularly during periods of accrued upwind and heat."

Dulewich commended the radical of Thompson for voluntarily looking aft his community, which is conscionable implicit 800 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

He's disappointed that Lynn Lake residents had to endure weeks successful a shelter, sleeping connected cots, portion evacuees from different areas were flown to Winnipeg and stayed successful edifice rooms.

He wants a fairer strategy to beryllium developed.

"I've gone bluish successful the face, yelling astatine antithetic agencies, trying to get the basal humane surviving conditions for the citizens of Lynn Lake," Dulewich said.

"It's unbelievable that they had to person to enactment successful the makeshift structure for this long."

The Lynn Lake Facebook post also says the restoration of energy is underway and a boil-water advisory remains successful effect.

Find the latest wildfire accusation astatine these sources:

• Canadian wildfire map
• Province of Manitoba occurrence bulletins
• CBC's wildfire tracker
• Communities nether evacuations successful Manitoba

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