Manitoba gains edge on wildfires, allowing evacuees from 4 First Nations to return home

Some Manitoba wildfire evacuees are returning home, but hundreds more remain in hotels while crews battle to protect their communities from flames.

The Canadian Red Cross is working with First Nations leaders to return evacuees to TataskweyakCree Nation,Berens River First Nation,Bloodvein First Nation, andNisichawayasihkCree Nation,also known as Nelson House.

The process started on Monday, with the hope of havingvirtually everyone from the fourcommunitieshomeby the end of Thursday, Red Cross spokespersonJason Small saidWednesday.

The aid agency is currently helping more than 3,800 evacuees from various First Nations under threat from fires raging through drought conditions in the province.

There are 475 from Pauingassi, 960 from Little Grand Rapids, 1,200 from Berens River, 680 from Bloodvein, 520 from Tataskweyak and 43 from Nisichawayasihk.

Most are in hotels in Winnipeg and Brandon, with a few in Thompson.

The number will be reduced by more than 2,500 once the people fromTataskweyak,Berens River, Bloodvein andNisichawayasihk are safely home. When that happens, there will no longer be any evacuees in Brandon, Small said.

"That's great news. The whole goal when we do this is to support people as long as they need to be out, but of coursewe'd rather everybody be back in their own homes," he said.

Evacuees from Berens River and Tataskweyakbegan returning home Monday, with almost all home by the following day.

Most evacueesfrom Nisichawayasihk were also home by the end of the day Tuesday, while members of Bloodveinstarted the trek home Wednesday, the Red Cross said.

There is no word yet on any imminent return for the evacuees from Pauingassiand Little Grand Rapids First Nation.

"We understand this is a very difficult situation, being out of your homes and the uncertainty around that," Smallsaid.

"We're doing our best to make sure that people have all the support they need and working with our various partners to help them get that support so that the stay is as comfortable as it possibly can be."

Happy to be home

Ellen Young, aBloodvein First Nation band councillor,said community members are thrilled to be home.

Community members were forced to leave their homes on July 19 with little notice.

"Being cooped up in a hotel room for three weeks, with maybe six people in a room and you have four kids, can be trying," she said.

Withhelp from the Red Cross, who provided large buses for transportation, the First Nation was able to get most of its members home within two days.

Aside from some damage caused by curious bears that broke into one home and destroyed a few trash bins, there was little to no damage to the community, she said.

Young said she's grateful to the Red Cross, firefighters and the organizations in Winnipeg that helped keep kids entertained while they were forced to live in hotels.

"We really appreciate all the work that they've done."

The Red Cross has been called on to help seven different First Nations during this fire season. Evacuees from Red Sucker Lakewent home a couple of weeks ago.

More help on the way

There are currently143 fires burning in Manitoba,with 11classified as out of control, provincial data says.

There have been 431 wildfires so far this year. Theaverage for this time is 370.

Recent rainfalls across the province had taken some of the pressure off, said Dave Schafer, head of the Manitoba Wildfire Services.

"It allows us to regroup and prioritize the new fires that we have to go after, the ones that were too active and unsafe to put personnel on, but also to make headway on the ones that we were already working on."

Meanwhile, more than100 firefighters from South Africa, along with their support staff,arrivedWednesday to help battle Manitoba'swildfires. They are expected to be in the province for 34 days.

WATCH | A team of South African firefighters arrive to help battle Manitoba's wildfires:

South African firefighters arrive to help battle Manitoba's wildfires

3 years ago

Duration 2:04

Over 140 wildfires continue to burn across the province. This afternoon international help arrived from South Africa to join the fight.

The South African contingent will join more than400 Manitoba firefightersas well as others from across Canada Quebec, the Northwest Territories, Alberta and Ontario andcrews withParks Canada,the Canadian Armed Forces andthe state of Michigan, who are already deployed around the province.

Trevor Abrahams, who is leading the South African firefighters, says his team members are eager to get to work.

"We have a fit young team, very active and very anxious to show what we can do."

Manitoba has six water bombers, whichhave been supplemented by two more from Quebec, four from the Northwest Territories and more thantwo dozen helicopters.

The help fromSouth African firefighters was arranged by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, a not-for-profit corporation owned and operated by federal, provincial and territorial wildfire management agencies.

They were all tested for COVID-19 before they leftSouth Africa and will be retested in Winnipeg.