Manitoba orders mass evacuation as wildfires sweep central and western Canada

Wildfires raging across central and western Canada have forced tens of thousands to evacuate, prompting Manitoba to declare a state of emergency and Alberta to shut down oil operations.

Manitoba has declared a state of emergency and ordered the evacuation of approximately 17,000 residents from northern and eastern parts of the province, including the city of Flin Flon, due to fast-spreading wildfires. Premier Wab Kinew announced the decision at a press conference on Wednesday, calling the evacuation "the largest in many Manitobans’ living memory." Evacuees are being relocated to temporary shelters in cities such as Winnipeg, with the federal military providing assistance in transportation efforts.

Meanwhile, Alberta is also grappling with severe wildfires, which have led to temporary shutdowns in the province’s oil and gas sector. Cenovus Energy confirmed it has reduced nonessential staff at its Foster Creek site in northern Alberta as a precaution. This facility is part of the broader oil sands operations in the Bonnyville-Cold Lake region, now under threat from a 2,900-hectare wildfire near Chipewyan Lake, located about 130 km west of Fort McMurray.

Although Chipewyan Lake faces no immediate danger, Alberta officials have issued a one-hour evacuation notice in case wind conditions worsen. In a separate incident, a 1,600-hectare fire burning out of control near Swan Hills led to the evacuation of the town’s 1,200 residents. Aspenleaf Energy, an oil producer operating in the area, said it had shut down around 4,000 barrels per day of production as a safety measure.

Authorities in both provinces are monitoring the fires closely, with emergency services coordinating evacuations and safety operations amid dry and windy conditions that continue to fuel the blazes.

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