A massive wildfire continues to rage in northwestern Manitoba, scorching thousands of hectares of land and forcing hundreds of Cranberry Portage residents to flee from their homes.
Local officials say efforts from fire crews in the community successfully held the flames at bay overnight Monday, but the blaze continues to threaten the region.
Cranberry Portage is located about 45 kilometres southeast of Flin Flon, near the Saskatchewan border.
Cranberry Portage was evacuated Saturday night, as a wildlife spread close to the northern community. (Heather Charlette / Facebook)
“The north flank of the town was maintained overnight, and crews are still working diligently to protect it,” said a Monday morning release from the RM of Kelsey, which is operating a reception centre for some 600 evacuees.
“The Cranberry Fire Department has put up several sprinklers throughout the community to keep the community safe, as we are not out of the woods just yet.”
The blaze, first detected Thursday, grew to 35,000 hectares (86,486 acres) over the weekend, according to the latest information on the Manitoba wildfire map.
In an update Sunday, the province said the fire was then 38 kilometres long and 12 kilometres wide. At one point Saturday night, the flames were less than a kilometre from Cranberry Portage.
According to the 2021 census, approximately 600 people live in the community.
The fire is believed to have been sparked by natural causes, the province said.
Flyover reports from Manitoba Hydro showed an electrical substation north of Cranberry Portage was not significantly damaged by fire. Hydro crews were slated to return to the site to complete a physical inspection assisted by 30 additional crew members from Winnipeg and Brandon, who are expected to arrive in The Pas Monday evening, the RM of Kelsey said.
Highway 10 from Bakers Narrows to Highway 39 remains closed due to poor visibility caused by the smoke. Sherridon access road at the junction of Highway 10 is also closed, the province said.
The wildfire has caused power outages for more than 500 Manitoba Hydro customers in the region, according information on the utility’s online map.
Most of those affected are in the Cranberry Portage area.
“Several Hydro poles have been damaged, and after today’s physical inspection… Hydro will have a better timeline for the repairs,” the RM said.
“The highway is still closed, we are still in a state of emergency (and) evacuation orders are still in place. The RCMP, Manitoba Wildfire Services and the Office of the Fire Commissioner will decide when to return home and will only do so when they consider it safe.”
Significant smoke, generated by the blaze and carried south by high winds, blanketed large swaths of the province, including Winnipeg, prompting air-quality warnings from Environment Canada Sunday.
As of Monday afternoon, the warnings remained in effect only for the region affected by the flames.
Many of the community’s residents fled to The Pas, where they are awaiting further updates.
Evacuee Dolly Charlette said emotions are high, because people don’t know if they will have homes to return to.
“I haven’t slept for 36 hours,” she told the Free Press. “It feels very traumatic, the unknown. I’m trying hard to stay calm for my grandchildren and my children.”
Charlette is among eight family members who are staying with her sister in The Pas, for the time being.
Community leaders on Mathias Colomb Cree Nation (Pukatawagan) are monitoring the situation.
The province said Sunday the flames had crossed over a rail line linking the remote First Nations community to Cranberry Portage, possibly compromising the tracks and impacting travel.
The First Nation’s assistant chief Ray Jorgensen said he received an update Monday morning that the flames had scorched some railway ties, compromising the line’s ability to support a train.
The line, owned by Keewatin Railway Co., is vital for the community, which is accessible only by winter road, rail and air, he said.
“Food, water, fuel — that’s where the bulk of supplies come from,” he said. “It’s going to cause trouble for this community.”
The train typically travels into the community twice each week, ferrying goods and passengers each way. Work is already underway to co-ordinate inspections and repairs for the infrastructure, but it is unclear when the line will be fit for operation, he said.
Community leaders have conducted assessments with local stores, and the First Nation has estimated that it has sufficient essential supplies to last until Thursday.
If shipments do not resume before then, the community may need to organize deliveries by air, he said.
A shipment of supplies slated for delivery Monday is stranded in The Pas, he said.
“Hopefully Mother Nature helps us along, he said.”
The province is holding a news conference Monday afternoon to provide updates on the situation.
tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca
Tyler Searle
Reporter
Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press’ city desk. Since joining the paper in 2022, he has found himself driving through blizzards, documenting protests and scouring the undersides of bridges for potential stories.