Red Sucker Lake Anisininew Nation calls for help as nearby wildfire prompts state of emergency

August 3, 2024 Canuck

A remote First Nation in northeastern Manitoba has declared a state of emergency on Saturday as a nearby wildfire has left the community blanketed in smoke and without power.

Thick smoke from a wildfire about 40 kilometres west of Red Sucker Lake Anisininew Nation now poses a threat to people’s safety, especially young children, elderly people and those suffering from respiratory illnesses, community leaders said in a Saturday news release.

The fire has also caused the community’s source of hydroelectricity to stop working.

The situation has put the community in an “unprecedented crisis,” prompting an immediate evacuation to be ordered, Chief Samuel Knott said in the release.

Red Sucker Lake is now calling for emergency funding from federal and provincial governments, particularly Indigenous Services Canada.

“We want a backup generator that will [power] the whole community. That’s the kind of support that I’m seeking,” Knott told CBC on Saturday.

The food in people’s fridges and freezers will begin to thaw within a day or two if power isn’t restored, which has sent the community into a panic, he said.

“It’s a remote, isolated community and the only way out is by flight,” Knott said. “It’s a very high cost of living up here.”

The community also needs emergency funds for things such as food, medical care, transportation and temporary housing as people pack up and leave, the news release says.

The out-of-control wildfire was one-and-a-half hectares in size when it was first reported on July 19, but has now grown to nearly 30,000 hectares as of Friday, according to the province’s wildfire service.

About 300 community members have registered with the Canadian Red Cross, with about 300 more being identified as a priority to be evacuated, he said.

Red Sucker Lake is about 700 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. Nearly 1,000 people lived in the community as of July, according to Statistics Canada.

Over 1,000 people from Wasagamack First Nation, God’s Lake First Nation, Manto Sipi Cree Nation and Red Sucker Lake have been evacuated because of the fire, the Canadian Red Cross previously said.

The Red Cross told CBC on Saturday that it had no information to share on the situation. CBC has reached out the provincial and federal governments for comment.

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