WINNIPEG — Cool, wet weather has allowed fire crews to get an upper hand in parts of northern Manitoba to clear the way for some of the 21,000 or more evacuees to start returning home.
David Monias, chief of Pimicikamak Cree Nation, reposted video of heavy rainfall on Facebook Monday, along with video of small planes leaving Winnipeg with evacuees who were forced out almost three weeks earlier.
"Our people are coming home," Monias wrote, adding the community's infrastructure is intact and water systems have been tested by health officials.
"Pimicikamak Cree Nation has begun the safe and gradual repatriation of our evacuees back to the community."
The community and surrounding area, comprising of some 7,000 people, was among the largest evacuated during an especially dry, hot spring this year.
Elsewhere in northern Manitoba, people in Snow Lake, Sherridon and Herb Lake Landing were allowed to return on the weekend. Hudbay Minerals also restarted its Snow Lake mining operations.
Other residents, however, were asked to be patient.
The roughly 5,000 residents of Flin Flon were told a nearby fire might ramp up again after the area received only a small amount of rain. The 3,700 square-kilometre fire, north and east of the city, remained out of control.
"We're working (on) doing some scans with the drones and aircraft to understand where some of the hottest areas are so that we can prioritize where we're going to focus our efforts," said Kristin Hayward from the provincial wildfire service.
People running critical businesses have begun to re-enter Flin Flon, but the general community will have to wait, partly because there are no health services and limited fire protection is available, municipal officials said.
There were 18 fires still burning across Manitoba, with seven of them listed as out of control.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2025.
The Canadian Press
