'This fire is a monster': Mandatory evacuation order issued for Snow Lake, Man., amid wildfire

Arturo Chang · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 06, 2025 1:57 PM EDT | Last Updated: June 7

The largest progressive wildfire successful Manitoba is forcing each people in a northwestern municipality retired of the community Friday, including 2 Manitobans who are present escaping the blaze for a 4th time.

A mandatory evacuation bid is successful effect for the municipality of Snow Lake, 3 days aft the community about 590 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg declared a section authorities of emergency.

Anyone inactive determination indispensable beryllium retired earlier noon Saturday, the Town of Snow Lake said successful a societal media station Friday.

The wildfire threatening Snow Lake was kilometres distant earlier this week, but westbound and northwest winds pushed it toward the town, choking the aerial with dense smoke, Mayor Ron Scott told CBC News connected Wednesday.

Linda Smith and Tom Allen, who are from Flin Flon, were staying astatine a camper successful Snow Lake and are present among those leaving the town. This is the 4th clip they've been nether a mandatory evacuation bid successful conscionable implicit a week.

WATCH | Evacuees forced retired of assemblage due to the fact that of wildfire for 4th time:

After leaving Flin Flon, they acceptable up a structure astatine a neighbour's compartment successful Bakers Narrows, said Smith.

"Day and a fractional later, we got evacuated from determination and we went to Wekusko Falls," she said. "Then we got evacuated Tuesday."

Smith said she and Allen will present beryllium heading for The Pas. 

"It's been hell," Smith said. "It's horrible. Like, you don't cognize the extremity successful sight."

The blaze threatening Snow Lake is now the largest wildfire in Manitoba, after what were primitively abstracted fires around Sherridon and Flin Flon merged.

Several communities person been put nether mandatory evacuation orders due to the fact that of the fire. The astir caller provincial occurrence bulletin said a two-hour evacuation announcement has besides present been enactment successful place for Rocky Lake East and Rocky Lake North.

"This occurrence is simply a monster," municipal exigency co-ordinator Jodi Cockle said Friday. "It's coming successful fundamentally connected 3 sides.… We're conscionable trying to get prepared to support Snow Lake safe."

The blaze was about 307,800 hectares successful size arsenic of the occurrence bulletin Friday afternoon.

'Stressful' waiting game

Snow Lake implemented a voluntary evacuation connected Tuesday, giving radical a accidental to permission earlier further restrictions kicked in. Some residents had already near earlier the evacuation became mandatory. 

Cheryl and Nelson Linklater, on with their 3 children, were waiting connected a autobus to get retired of the assemblage Friday.

The mates said they've hardly near their location since the section authorities of exigency was declared.

WATCH | Snow Lake residents acceptable to permission municipality days aft section authorities of exigency issued:

"It's stressful, like, the waiting crippled especially," Cheryl Linklater said.

"The voluntary evacuation — there's a batch of radical that near and we were stuck here. I didn't spell to work, kids [have] been retired of school. We [were] stuck wrong due to the fact that it's excessively smoky to spell anywhere."

Last week, thousands of radical were evacuated from Flin Flon, astir 120 kilometres westbound of Snow Lake.

The City of Flin Flon said successful a societal media station Friday greeting nary structures determination person been mislaid successful the fire, though winds bowing from the southbound are drifting dense fume and spreading the flames.

Property extortion measures, including sprinklers, person been acceptable up and the city will proceed moving successful the Channing area, the station said

Find the latest wildfire information:

• Canadian wildfire map.
• Province of Manitoba occurrence bulletins.
• CBC's wildfire tracker.
• Evacuated communities in Manitoba.

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