Residents of Pimicikamak Cree Nation can begin returning home on Monday after more than three weeks of displacement due to threatening wildfires in northern Manitoba. Chief David Monias confirmed the lifting of the evacuation order in a statement on Sunday, while noting that the community remains under a state of emergency.
Located about 530 kilometres north of Winnipeg, the First Nation faced precautionary evacuations last month due to advancing fires and hazardous smoke levels. As of the weekend, the nearest wildfire — measuring around 2,300 hectares — is being held, though another blaze south of the community remains out of control at over 64,000 hectares.
Monias expressed optimism that recent heavy rain and hail will aid firefighting efforts. Fortunately, no structures in Pimicikamak have been lost to the fires.
Roughly 500 residents are expected to begin the return journey Monday. The First Nation has coordinated with gas stations along multiple routes to ease the trip home for evacuees who can drive. A broader phased re-entry will follow for the community’s approximately 7,800 residents.
Special arrangements are being made for the return of vulnerable individuals, such as elders and those with respiratory conditions, who were prioritized during the initial evacuation. Their return will depend on ongoing air quality assessments.
The evacuations stretched across Manitoba and into Ontario, with some evacuees relocated as far as Niagara Falls. Now, the community is focused on reunification. “Everybody’s looking forward to going home and being together,” Monias told CBC News.
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