Pukatawagan evacuation ramps up: Larger aircraft arrive as airport reopens

The evacuation of a Manitoba First Nation forced retired by wildfires is ramping up with larger craft helping retired and the reopening of the community's lone airport. However, concerns stay astir the sheer fig of residents inactive stranded days aft they were ordered out.

Thousands of radical person been waiting to beryllium flown retired from Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, besides known arsenic Pukatawagan, since the mandatory evacuation bid came connected Wednesday.

Smoke from out-of-control wildfires unopen down the community's lone airstrip connected Thursday. With immoderate craft constricted to groups of betwixt six and 13 radical since then, officials successful the assemblage had said it would instrumentality days earlier the evacuation would beryllium complete.

The airdrome reopened connected Saturday greeting aft the fume cleared capable to let craft to land, Chief Gordie Bear told CBC News.

"We won't permission you behind, but you gotta hold successful enactment past truthful that we tin travel retired without a stampede, without warring astatine the gross to get out," helium said. 

However, the runway successful Pukatawagan tin lone accommodate helicopters and airy planes, excluding different subject craft specified arsenic the Hercules that tin grip a greater fig of people, Bear said. 

"You tin lone bash truthful much," helium said. 

The out-control wildfire, archetypal reported Tuesday, was 9,785 hectares successful size and astir a kilometre distant from the assemblage arsenic of Thursday, according to the province's wildfire map.

WATCH | Helicopters for Pukatawagan evacuees onshore successful The Pas: 

Double-rotor Chinook helicopters from the Canadian Forces were flying evacuees from Pukatawagan astir 210 kilometres southbound to The Pas connected Saturday. 

Bear said astir 500 residents were expected to beryllium evacuated during the 10-hour model limiting formation crews are timed retired for the time and operations resume connected Sunday morning. 

"It's precise hard to talk for everybody successful general, but cipher wants to leave," Bear said. "This is not a vacation, they are going into a antithetic environment." 

The evacuation is besides bringing the trauma immoderate residential schoolhouse survivors endured aft being forcefully removed from their assemblage arsenic helium was, Bear said. 

However, the menace of the wildfire, combined with the smoke-filled aerial and a powerfulness outage means everyone indispensable leave, Bear said.

Daniel Bighetty and Linda Colomb say erstwhile they near Pukatawagan on Friday the fume was dense capable to fell the sun. The First Nation had besides mislaid entree to moving water. 

While it was a a "relief" to get retired connected tiny chopper, Bighetty, who is simply a triple-bypass bosom patient, said helium was hoping different susceptible residents could soon beryllium evacuated. too.

"There's a batch of the kids that are nether aesculapian attention, elders and bosom patients," helium said. "It's truthful smoky and it's blistery … present you tin respire amended and it's not truthful overmuch anxiety." 

Opaskwayak Cree Nation, connected the outskirts of The Pas, has acceptable up a centre for evacuees to assistance them modulation into much imperishable shelters successful confederate Manitoba, including Winnipeg and Brandon, said Diane Pelly, enforcement manager for authorities services successful the community. 

"There's obscurity present successful the northbound … to accommodate them," she said. "Everybody's truly being tested with the supports that are required, and unfortunately, it is relocating to the south." 

Hundreds of evacuees came from Flin Flon connected Wednesday. The adjacent time the centre started welcoming radical from Pukatwagan that person been arriving successful helicopters astatine the Clearwater Lake Airport successful The Pas. 

But successful the process, she said immoderate families are losing way of their relatives, spurring interest during an already stressful situation, she said. 

"We're doing our precise champion to determination them arsenic rapidly arsenic possible," Pelly said. "There's inactive a ample fig of individuals that request to beryllium transferred out." 

A spokesperson for VIA Rail told CBC astir 120 evacuees from Pukatawagan and Flin Flon boarded 2 trains successful The Pas that departed to Winnipeg astatine astir 3:15 a.m. connected Saturday. 

Evacuees and different passengers connected the trains were expected to get successful Winnipeg by 5:30 p.m. 

The Crown corp said they are helping with the evacuation astatine the petition of Indigenous Services Canada, and volition proceed to enactment with authorities authorities if much assistance is needed.

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