A remote First Nation in northeastern Manitoba has declared a state of emergency on Saturday as a nearby wildfire has left the community blanketed in smoke and without power.
Thick smoke from a wildfire about 40 kilometres west of Red Sucker Lake Anisininew Nation now poses a threat to people’s safety, especially young children, elderly people and those suffering from respiratory illnesses, community leaders said in a Saturday news release.
The fire has also caused the community’s source of hydroelectricity to stop working.
The situation has put the community in an “unprecedented crisis,” prompting an immediate evacuation to be ordered, Chief Samuel Knott said in the release.
Red Sucker Lake is now calling for emergency funding from federal and provincial governments, particularly Indigenous Services Canada, to provide the community with a backup generator and help to install it.
It also needs funds for things such as food, medical care, transportation and temporary housing, the news release says.
“It’s a remote, isolated community and the only way out is by flight,” Knott told CBC on Saturday. “It’s a very high cost of living up here.”
The out-of-control wildfire was one-and-a-half hectares in size when it was first reported on July 19, but has now grown to nearly 30,000 hectares as of Friday, according to the province’s wildfire service.
Knott says the power outage created panic in the community, and there are concerns over food spoilage as people leave their homes behind.
About 300 community members have registered with the Canadian Red Cross, with around another 300 being identified as priority to be evacuated, he said.
Red Sucker Lake is about 700 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. Nearly 1,000 people lived in the community as of July, according to Statistics Canada.
Over 1,000 people from Wasagamack First Nation, God’s Lake First Nation, Manto Sipi Cree Nation and Red Sucker Lake have been evacuated because of the fire, the Canadian Red Cross previously said.
The Red Cross told CBC on Saturday that it had no information to share on the situation. CBC has reached out the provincial and federal governments for comment.