The government of Manitoba has declared a state of emergency for the second time this year as wildfires ravage the central Canadian province, burning over 100 fires on Friday alone. Provincial officials reported that this year’s wildfires have already consumed a staggering 2.5 million acres of land and are on track to become the most destructive wildfire season since 1994. Alarmingly, at least a dozen of these blazes are currently out of control.
The spike in temperatures this summer is intensifying the wildfire season, which typically spans from March to October. Most of these fires are ignited by lightning strikes, and recently, Winnipeg, the capital, was placed under a severe thunderstorm warning. Several communities have been forced to evacuate, with nine under mandatory orders, including Snow Lake and the Garden Hill First Nation.
“The primary reason for declaring this state of emergency is to ensure we have access to additional facilities to accommodate the large number of Manitobans displaced by the wildfires,” stated Wab Kinew, Manitoba's Premier, during a recent briefing. Over 4,000 evacuees from Garden Hill are currently being housed at Winnipeg’s Billy Mosienko Arena and RBC Convention Center, with federal aid including an air force plane deployed to assist in transporting evacuees.
In a show of support, American firefighting teams have joined efforts on the ground in Manitoba. However, Premier Kinew has expressed frustration at some U.S. Congress members for what he termed politicization of the wildfire situation, particularly after a group of Republican representatives from Minnesota and Wisconsin urged the Canadian government to mitigate smoke damage affecting their states.
This emergency follows another significant crisis in May where wildfires resulted in two fatalities and forced 30,000 individuals to evacuate from their homes in Manitoba and neighboring Saskatchewan. As the situation remains critical, local and federal leaders continue to navigate the challenges posed by these devastating wildfires.
