Tataskweyak wildfire evacuees in Thompson 'meeting place' hoping to reconnect with family all over

Arturo Chang · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 06, 2025 10:23 PM EDT | Last Updated: June 7

Grace Beardy's youngest child was calved in Takaskweyak Cree Nation connected May 19, Victoria Day. Ten days later, powerfulness successful the assemblage was out.

The lad was astir 2 weeks aged erstwhile helium became an evacuee.

"It was sad, particularly going done postpartum and carrying the small one," Beardy said Wednesday. "I was unsocial retired determination with him for 4 days, until my sister came."

Tataskweyak, besides known arsenic Split Lake, declared a authorities of exigency connected May 29, with a wildfire lone astir a kilometre distant from the bluish Manitoba First Nation.

Beardy and her 3 children were among the much than 2,400 Tataskweyak residents forced to permission their homes due to the fact that of the fire.

WATCH | Tataskweyak evacuees successful Thompson:

"There was buses coming successful and they were conscionable loading radical up," said Melanie Spence, who was successful Thompson for a time travel arsenic the evacuation began.

"People were benignant of hesitant to go," she said.

"They didn't cognize however large the occurrence was going to beryllium there. They were hoping that it [would] beryllium enactment retired each day. We've ne'er seen thing similar this."

PR 280 connecting the assemblage to Thompson connected the westbound and Gillam to the eastbound is the lone roadworthy servicing Tataskweyak. The roadworthy was closed disconnected past week due to the fact that of the fire.

With the mode location blocked off, Spence decided to assistance evacuees who ended up successful Thompson, which is astir a 100 kilometres southwest of the community, as the crow flies.

She's been directing radical to the city's Wawatay Inn,  which is owned by Tataskweyak and usually serves people coming for aesculapian appointments.

"It's the closest happening to home," she said. "They service nutrient here. So I figured, well, this volition be … the gathering place."

Duke Beardy, an economical improvement serviceman with the First Nation, said the installation is unfastened to evacuees from Tataskweyak arsenic good arsenic different communities.

"There's radical from Lynn Lake present too, and Nelson House too.… If there's room, past they enactment present too," helium said.

But with lone 18 rooms, abstraction astatine the inn is limited.

'It's been chaos'

Sylvia Saunders said astir 7 radical successful her enactment — including a babe and a toddler — were staying successful the aforesaid country astatine the inn as of Wednesday.

"It's been chaos for everybody here. Still a batch of radical don't person rooms," Saunders said. "I did negociate to acceptable everyone successful determination and to effort and person a comfy sleep."

Saunders said radical person resorted to sleeping successful couches astatine the inn's lobby due to the fact that of the deficiency of rooms.

Edwin Beardy said the concern is already stressful enough.

"It's frustrating arsenic good arsenic bittersweet due to the fact that of family, … they're each over," helium said. "From what I'm hearing, my family, immoderate of them are successful Gillam, immoderate of them successful Winnipeg and a fewer are successful Niagara Falls…. It's hard." 

Grace Beardy, who was besides staying astatine the inn  arsenic of Wednesday, said she was waiting to link with household who ended up successful Winnipeg.

Leaving the assemblage "was acold and sad," she said. 

"But I couldn't beryllium bittersweet successful beforehand of my kids. I had to enactment strong."

The occurrence astatine Tataskweyak was about 21,000 hectares arsenic of the latest provincial occurrence bulletin Friday.

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].