Out-of-control wildfires prompted a provincewide state of emergency in Manitoba, Canada, where 17,000 residents are under evacuation orders as fires rage in the north and east of the province.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew urged residents to heed official warnings at a news conference Wednesday night, telling them to head toward urban areas like Winnipeg, where temporary housing and emergency assistance were being provided.
“This is the largest evacuation that Manitoba will have seen in most people’s living memory,” Mr. Kinew said.
The city of Flin Flon and the First Nations of Pimicikamak and Mathias Colomb issued mandatory evacuation orders to residents, according to Manitoba officials. The Canadian military would assist with the evacuations, Mr. Kinew said, including with emergency flights.
“The military is being called for help here because of the sheer scale,” Mr. Kinew said. The evacuations would take place within hours, he said, and many of those displaced would be temporarily relocating to Winnipeg.
City officials and the armed forces were working to construct temporary shelters there, Mr. Kinew said, in places like arenas and sports grounds.
In an interview with the Canadian Broadcast Company, George Fontaine, the mayor of Flin Flon, said everyone needed to be out by midnight.
“I’m busy packing a couple of things and everybody is getting as organized as we can,” Mr. Fontaine told CBC News.
Wildfire season has already proven deadly in Manitoba, where earlier this month two people were trapped and killed in a small western town before they could evacuate. As of Wednesday, 22 fires were burning in the province — 11 of which were considered out of control.
The fire near Flin Flon covered about 50,000 acres as of Wednesday afternoon, Manitoba’s government said. Another fire near Sherridon, north of Flin Flon, was at about 100,000 acres.
“This is a moment of fear and uncertainty. This is a moment of concern,” Mr. Kinew said, speaking directly to the 17,000 residents under evacuation orders. “But I want to tell you that your fellow Manitobans will welcome you. We will get through this difficult period and we will get through this trying period the way that we always do: by working together.”
Ali Watkins covers international news and is based in London.
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