Smoke rises from a wildfire in Flin Flon, Man., on May 27, 2025.Manitoba Government/Reuters
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has declared a state of emergency for at least 30 days, as multiple wildfires are spreading across vast parts of the entire province, forcing more than 17,000 people to evacuate their homes.
The province has called upon the Canadian Armed Forces to fly residents from several Northern communities toward safer areas, Mr. Kinew said Wednesday evening, just hours after seeking the military assistance from Prime Minister Mark Carney. The majority of those people will be temporarily housed in Winnipeg, where soccer fields and arenas are being readied to become large-scale evacuation centres.
“This is the largest evacuation Manitoba will have seen in most people’s living memory,” Mr. Kinew told reporters at the provincial legislature, as cellphones chimed loudly with emergency alerts. “For the first time, it’s not a fire in one region. We have fires in every region.”
An evacuation order has been issued for the mining city of Flin Flon, more than 820 kilometres north of Winnipeg, where roughly 5,000 people live along the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border. Along the shores of the Nelson River, the Northern communities of Pimicikamak Cree Nation, Cross Lake, Norway House and Mathias Colomb First Nation in Pukatawagan near the Pas are also being mandated to vacate by Thursday.
Meanwhile, the province is advising residents in eastern Manitoba to remain prepared for further evacuations with emergency kits and car fuel, as a roughly 31,200-hectare fire remains out of control along the border with Ontario.
Wildfires have run rampant across Western Canada in recent years, including the devastating 2021 blaze that razed Lytton, B.C., and the massive fire last summer in Alberta’s Jasper National Park that destroyed large swaths of the town and forest.
There are 22 active wildfires burning in Manitoba, with 102 in total this year. Before this week, the 20-year average for the region was 78 annual fires. The significant mass of the province that has burned – more than 198,000 hectares – is already triple the five-year annual average, according to the Manitoba Wildfire Service and Conservation Officer Service.
“This is a moment of fear and uncertainty. This is a moment of concern. But I want to tell you that your fellow Manitobans will welcome you,” Mr. Kinew said Wednesday, directly addressing the evacuees. “We will get through this.”
Earlier in the morning, the Premier had warned residents of Flin Flon to be ready to flee at a moment’s notice, while hospital patients were already being moved out of the city. By evening, the situation had crucially intensified.
“That is a sign of a changing climate that we are going to have to adapt to.”
The fire in Flin Flon began Monday in the Saskatchewan town of Creighton before crossing the Manitoba boundary, Mr. Kinew said, adding that he has been in touch with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe to ensure fewer health care disruptions from the fire in both provinces.
Manitoba’s state of emergency will be in effect until late June, but may be extended if necessary, the Premier said. The directive ensures that federal, provincial and local resources can be delivered in a co-ordinated response, he added.
Kristin Hayward, assistant deputy minister for Manitoba Wildfire Service and Conservation Officer Service, said a majority of the wildfires in the province were likely caused by people.
Just two weeks ago, a blaze near Lac du Bonnet, Man., in cottage country forced close to 1,000 people to flee. That fire destroyed 28 homes and cottages. Two people were killed. At the same time, the province had declared a localized state of emergency near Whiteshell Provincial Park, where many people have now been allowed to return.
The province has sought the help of firefighters from New Brunswick, Alberta, British Columbia and Prince Edward Island, Ms. Hayward said.
Last Sunday, a Parks Canada firefighter was severely injured. He remains in hospital, Mr. Kinew said.
Grand Chief Kyra Wilson of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, which represents 63 First Nations across the province, said the wildfires have highlighted the inequities faced by Northern communities.
“Our First Nations are strong and resilient, but they should not have to face these growing climate threats alone,” Ms. Wilson said in an interview.
She urged provincial and federal leaders to rise to the occasion by working toward better infrastructure, such as airports, train services and year-long roads.
Warmer-than-normal temperatures are expected for the majority of Canada in 2025, according to The Weather Network’s seasonal forecast for the months of June, July and August. The forecasts show some similarities to the summer of 2021, when drought, wildfires, water shortages and a deadly heat wave hit British Columbia.
In Northern Saskatchewan, officials have imposed a widespread fire ban after a little more than 2,100 people were evacuated from the communities of Pelican Narrows and Hall Lake. Conditions there have been tinder dry.
In north-central Alberta, the 1,300 residents of Swan Hills, 175 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, were ordered to leave Monday ahead of an advancing, wind-caused fire.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Pimicikamak Cree Nation, Cross Lake, Norway House and Mathias Colomb First Nation in Pukatawagan are slightly west of Flin Flon. They are east of Flin Flon. That reference has been removed.