‘It looked like the end of the world’: Harrowing first-hand account from Manitoba evacuee

Alex Karpa has the story of an elder from northern Man. who shares the terror he felt ensuring the safety of his 19 grandchildren while fleeing wildfires.

It was a journey Raymond Robinson never thought he’d ever have to take.

Robinson was forced to evacuate from his home community of Cross Lake in northern Manitoba two weeks ago, as evacuation notices were handed out as the wildfire threatened residents living there. He didn’t just have to worry about getting himself out, as he was also responsible for getting his 19 grandchildren to safety.

“It was the scariest moment out of everything I have ever experienced,” he said from a Winnipeg hotel room on Wednesday.

Robinson says he didn’t have much time to get out of the community – the wildfire was inching closer and closer. He grabbed what he could for himself, his family and hit the road.

“We had three hours to get out,” he said.

The only way to get out of the community was by ferry to Norway House, a community south of Cross Lake, as the airport in Cross Lake was closed due to heavy smoke.

“The air was getting really thick,” he said. “It was supposed to be a clear, sunny day, but you couldn’t even see the sun at that time.”

Robinson rented a van and made multiple trips, driving all his grandkids and children to the ferry terminal. But due to the high volume of residents leaving town, Robinson says the wait to get on that ferry was more than eight hours, with lines nearly two kilometres long.

Once they finally got to Norway House, they were able to fly to Winnipeg on a Canadian Military Hercules plane.

“We thought there would only be about a 1,000 people evacuating from Norway House,” he said. “There ended up being 6,700 people evacuating from there, so Norway House was overwhelmed.”

All in all, a journey that usually takes just over an hour by flight from Cross Lake to Winnipeg, ended up taking two days.

“My heart, my mind, was in great stress, because of my grandchildren,” he said. “I have grandchildren that aren’t able to look after themselves.”

Once Robinson and his family made it safely to Winnipeg, they registered with the Red Cross at one of the city’s evacuation centres.

They didn’t have any food, water or extra clothing – just the clothes on their backs and a few other items.

After waiting for several hours, they were able to find a hotel to stay at in Winnipeg.

Some of his grandkids went with their parents to Brandon, but the rest of his family, including 14 grandkids, are now packed into in four rooms.

“You can’t really even walk anywhere,” he said. “It’s sure tight here. I don’t even sleep here. There’s just no room. I go sleep somewhere else.”

Thousands remain displaced in Manitoba

Robinson and his family are just one example of the thousands of unplanned evacuation journeys.

To date, over 21,000 people have registered with the Red Cross, taking shelter throughout Manitoba and in other provinces, including Ontario.

As of Wednesday, there are 25 active fires across Manitoba – nine of which remain out of control.

The largest fire is burning in the Flin Flon-Sherridon region, sitting at over 307,000 hectares in size.

However, there is some good news: re-entry plans for residents of Cranberry-Portage, just southeast of Flin Flon, will begin over the weekend.

The community posted on its Facebook page that residents should ensure they have stocked up on groceries and have all their belongings packed before they return.

More spots in one of the province’s busiest cottage locations have also reopened. Residents, cottagers, and commercial operations are returning to Whiteshell Provincial Park.

As for Robinson, he is slowly getting used to the accommodations in Winnipeg, but hopes his family, like others across the province, can return home sooner rather than later.

“We’re doing the best we can here,” he said. “We are grateful for the help we are getting. We’re safe away from the fire, that’s the main thing.”