Lake St. Martin First Nation in central Manitoba begins evacuations due to wildfire

A Manitoba First Nation is sending some of its residents to Winnipeg due a wildfire.

Lake St. Martin First Nation,just over 225 kilometres northwest of Winnipegin the rural municipality of Grahamdale, announced around 9 p.m. Wednesday onFacebook that it will be elders, infants and those with chronic medical conditions will leave the community because of the fire.

Around 10 p.m., the band activated its emergency response through the Canadian Red Cross, it said on Facebook.

Anyone leaving the community needs to take necessities for their families, such as clothing and medication. The Red Cross will be working to get people into hotel rooms, the post said.

Members living on reserve are to meet at a hotel in Winnipeg, where members of the Red Cross will help them and assign them to a hotel room, the post said.

In the meantime, any band memberliving on the First Nation who have a licence to drive a school bus is asked to get to the Lake St. Martin First Nation band office as soon as they can.

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