'We didn't bring anything': Manitoba forest fire evacuees arrive in Brandon

People whoarrived in Brandon on Wednesday by the planeload after being forced from their northern Manitoba homes due to smoke and flames say they became separated from family members in what they described as a chaotic, hectic evacuation.

Up to 7,000 people could now be driven out oftheir homes by wildfires in northern Manitoba, according to the Red Cross. The number had reached 3,700by Wednesday afternoon. It's the largest evacuation the Red Cross in Manitoba has had to undertake, officials said Wednesday.

Norah Whiteway, who had to leaveher home in Wasagamack, Man. nearly 500 kilometres northeast of Winnipeghelped the very young, the old and those with medical issues leave on Tuesday evening. After taking a boat to St. Theresa Point, she flew to Winnipeg, then to Brandon.

"It was scary on the boats," she said while outsidethe Red Crossreception centre in the western Manitoba city. "All the darkness and things flying, ashes flying, with elders and boats all over the place."

She saidthere were seven people on the boat with her. One man got sick, she said, adding that many arrived with little more than the clothes on their backs.Some who arrived at the reception centre in Brandon were fortunate enough to have had time to pack small bags.

"We didn't bring anything, only my purse when we left because I was focused on the kids.I wanted them out of there because of the smoke, their lungs.Iwas worried about their lungs,"Whitewaysaid.

Some children became separated from their families in the chaos, she said, adding that she was still looking for one of her grandsons on Wednesday afternoon.

"When we got to the airport, people came piling in, there was aco-ordinatorthere you can't call out, so much noise in there, kids crying," she said.

There's no one city in Manitoba that has enough hotel rooms for us, for the evacuees.- Red Cross spokesman

Whiteway expressed her frustration with the evacuation efforts on Wednesday. She wasn't happy with the Red Cross' response.

"We have no airport [in Wasagamack]," she said."It was really poorly co-ordinated."

Whiteway said she asked earlier this week why the critically ill weren't being airlifted out then.

"We need somebody that can co-ordinate an evacuation from our community."

Northern Manitoba forest fire evacuees arrive in Brandon

7 years ago

Duration 1:49

People forced from their homes due to forest fires in northern Manitoba arrived in Brandon on Wednesday by the planeload as hotels in the city prepare to house potentially thousands of people forced out due to smoke and flames.

People were also taken out of the First Nations ofSt. Theresa Point and Garden Hill. With hotels in Winnipeg full, evacuees are now being brought to Brandon.

There are about 1,400 hotel rooms in Brandon. Once those are full, evacueescould be housed in Portage la Prairie, about 85 kilometres west of Winnipeg.

Flights into Brandon started arriving Tuesday night. By Wednesday afternoon, the runway at the city's airport was busy as people arrived about 45 at a time before being taken by bus to hotels.

The RedCrossis using all available hotels but plans are being made to createa large-scale shelter.

"There's no one city in Manitoba that has enough hotel rooms for us, for the evacuees," a spokesman said. "That's why we're using multiple sites."

The number of evacuees could reach 7,000, officials said.

On Wednesday, theDepartment of National Defence said it will sendmilitary planes to help residents get out of the evacuated First Nations.

The City of Winnipeg also said the federal Indigenous and Northern Affairs deparment will set up a triage and emergency shelter for evacuees at the the downtown RBC Convention Centre.

The fire in the Island Lake area is estimated at more than 23,000 hectares, provincial officials said.

Sheila Harper arrived in Brandon Wednesday afternoon from Garden Hill. She, like Whiteway and many others, had to take a boat to St. Theresa Point to catch planes.

"It was scary," she said. "When we were leaving our house you could see the burned pinecones falling and ... falling ashes."

She said many people in her community didn't have time to pack.

"We didn't pack, no shower, no nothing," she said. "We Just left the house right away."

She asked people to pray for her community and those who remained behind.