Donate
Environment

First Nations evacuate thousands from remote areas in Manitoba due to wildfire threat

First Nations Chiefs criticized the Canadian government’s initial response to the wildfires, which have forced thousands of people to evacuate in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

The World

Wildfires advance in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada, May 27, 2025.

Manitoba government via AP

Wildfires burning in central and western Canada forced widespread evacuations last week, with more than 17,000 people moved in Manitoba alone. About 7,700 square miles have burned so far, making it one of the worst starts to a Canadian fire season in years; it’s second only to the start of 2023, which became the worst wildfire season in Canada’s recorded history.

Many of the people being evacuated are from First Nations, in remote communities accessible only by single roads, boat or air.

“We’re fighting for resources and competing with everyone else,” said Chief David Monias of Pimicikamak Cree Nation. He is helping coordinate his community’s evacuation from Cross Lake, about eight hours north of Winnipeg.

As Chief Monias spoke with The World’s Carolyn Beeler, and he said he could see the fires burning in the distance.

Carolyn Beeler:Given so many competing demands in Manitoba, have you received any federal support or any outside help to evacuate?
Chief David Monias: Well, we’re finally getting the Canadian Armed Forces to fly our people out, but we still need people to help us out right now … Right now, there are a lot of jurisdictional issues and a lot of protocols and policies have been followed. [But] fire does not recognize boundaries or jurisdictions. Drop that, and just work together and help us out.
What are your most pressing needs at the moment?
We need accommodation. Right now, the hotel rooms in Winnipeg are booked for recreation, entertainment and conferences. And we hope that these people, [who] are making the conferences and events, maybe scale it down for now so we can accommodate the evacuees. Because right now we’re running out of space.
What are you hearing from people about how they’re experiencing all of this?
I’m getting continuous calls, [emails], text messages, that they’re hungry, they wanna be on the plane, they wanna get out, they wanna come home… These people are very vulnerable. They’re exhausted physically, mentally, emotionally. They’ve been sleeping on concrete floors. [They’ve been] displaced. They left their homes, their pets, their family members [who] couldn’t go because not everybody could get out [of] here.
Chief Monias, will you yourself be evacuated?
I will be evacuated. I have a plan, I have a boat ready. [But] we’re here until the end, until the last person is out. I’m not leaving until everybody’s out.


This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

AP contributed to this report.

Will you support The World?

The story you just read is not locked behind a paywall because listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Now more than ever, we need your help to support our global reporting work and power the future of The World. Can we count on you?