The Wildfire Program of Manitoba Sustainable Development advises that evacuation orders have been issued by the communities of Easterville and Chemawawin First Nation, 450 kilometres north of Winnipeg, due to smoke and threat from a fire that has moved to within half a kilometre of the community.
Fire crews are working on three fires in the area, with ground attack as well as two water bombers.
At this time, approximately 70 people from the community of Easterville will be heading to The Pas while up to 2,000 people from Chemawawin First Nation will be going to Winnipeg. Support and co-ordination of the Chemawawin First Nation evacuation will be handled by the Canadian Red Cross.
In Manitoba, a total of 100 wildfires have been recorded to date. The average for this date is 233.
For further general information on the fire status, maps, travel restrictions, burning permit cancellations or other restrictions go to www.gov.mb.ca/wildfire. To report a wildfire, call 911 or the T.I.P. line (toll-free) at 1-800-782-0076. The T.I.P. line is dedicated for reporting fires.
