CAF helping evacuate Garden Hill First Nation in Manitoba due to wildfires

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew declares a state of emergency in the province for the second time this summer due to wildfire smoke

A Manitoba First Nation is being evacuated due to wildfires in the area.

Eleanor Olszewski, the federal manager of emergency management, confirmed on X that members of the Canadian Armed Forces are helping evacuate Garden Hill First Nation due to a wildfire.

“We’ve approved Manitoba’s request for CAF support as wildfires threaten Garden Hill. Evacuation efforts are now underway,” Olszewski said.

During a news conference Thursday afternoon announcing a state of emergency in Manitoba, Premier Wab Kinew said roughly 4,000 people are being evacuated from the community.

Kinew noted roughly 1,000 people were evacuated via a Hercules airplane from the Canadian Armed Forces on Thursday. He said the rest will likely be evacuated by commercial planes.

He said the evacuation process is easier as there is an airport in the area that can handle a Hercules plane.

The evacuation comes as Snow Lake declared a state of local emergency, saying all non-essential personnel need to be out of the community by noon on Thursday.

According to Manitoba’s wildfire bulletin released Wednesday, there are 98 wildfires actively burning across the province.