Wildfire evacuees staying in Winnipeg all now moved to hotels, province says

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 18, 2025 6:19 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Wildfire evacuees successful request of accommodations successful Winnipeg person each been placed successful hotels arsenic of Wednesday morning, the state says.

Congregate structure sites astatine the Century and Eric Coy arenas and RRC Polytech successful Winnipeg, and the tract successful Portage la Prairie, volition present nary longer beryllium utilized for evacuees.

But the tract astatine the shot analyzable connected Leila Avenue volition support capableness successful lawsuit immoderate evacuees request exigency shelter, and Billy Mosienko Arena volition stay a 24-hour reception centre, Manitoba's latest wildfire update connected Wednesday said.

Earlier Wednesday, a provincial spokesperson said the authorities is alert of astir 130 structures mislaid to wildfires crossed Manitoba. However, the state volition not supply further details oregon descriptions of those structures "until we tin beryllium definite that the affected individuals person been notified," the spokesperson said successful an email.

The southbound portion of Nopiming Provincial Park has besides reopened for imperishable residents, cottagers and commercialized operators, which includes Provincial Road 315, Bird Lake, Booster Lake, Flanders Lake and Davidson Lake. A closure and mandatory evacuation bid continues for the remainder of the park, and the full areas of Wallace Lake, South Atikaki and Manigotagan River provincial parks.

There are 21 progressive wildfires burning crossed the state — six of which are retired of power — and person been 124 to day this year, supra the mean for this clip of twelvemonth of 118 full fires, the state said. Since May 1, the Manitoba Conservation Officer Service has issued 93 charges and 31 warnings related to wildfires.

The out-of-control fires see 1 adjacent the northwestern metropolis of Flin Flon, which is astir 370,780 hectares, and 1 successful the eastbound country of Nopiming Provincial Park, which is astir 218,700 hectares, the state said Wednesday.

The Manitoba Wildfire Service is besides updating occurrence and question restrictions for galore parts of the state to Level 2, starting 8 a.m. Thursday. Fire and question restrictions person besides been lifted for a fig of provincial parks.

Recent rainfall and a afloat green-up — greenish writer with little dead, cured leaves and afloat leaves connected trees — person helped trim the occurrence hazard successful immoderate parts of Manitoba, though different areas are inactive astatine precocious risk, and important occurrence suppression operations proceed and restrictions stay successful spot there, the state said. 

The wildfires forced astir 22,000 from their homes, officials said earlier this week, chiefly successful the northbound and north-central regions.

Pimicikamak Cree Nation saw 7,000 forced out, but they are present allowed to spell back. Flights person brought radical backmost from Winnipeg, portion buses person been chartered for those who were taken to Thompson.

There was inactive nary connection connected erstwhile the 5,000 residents of Flin Flon mightiness beryllium allowed to return. A occurrence adjacent remained retired of power and officials said determination were blistery spots not acold from the community.

Anyone going backmost to a reopened country should beryllium prepared to evacuate again with small announcement and should hole an exigency spell kit, arsenic good arsenic stay alert for evacuation notices, the state said.