Brandon on standby for wildfire evacuees
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/08/2023 (955 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Over 50 wildfire evacuees from the Northwest Territories have arrived in Winnipeg, with nearby communities like Brandon remaining ready in case more temporary accommodations are required.
A provincial representative told the Sun that two flights carrying wildfire evacuees arrived in Winnipeg over the weekend, with a third landing early Monday morning.
As of Monday afternoon, 51 evacuees (and 11 pets) had registered in Winnipeg, with 43 individuals choosing hotel accommodations while eight other people decided to stay with family and friends.
“It should be noted that evacuees are not required to register and some may choose to find their own accommodations after they arrive,” the government representative wrote in an email.
While the City of Brandon has set aside some hotel rooms for evacuees, Mayor Jeff Fawcett told the Sun via text message that he is expecting Winnipeg to handle all accommodations right now, although those circumstances could change.
Last Friday, the province reported that up to 3,000 residents fleeing ragging wildfires in the Northwest Territories are being shipped to Manitoba, with accommodations being set up in communities like Winnipeg, Portage la Prairie and Brandon.
The wildfire situation has gotten progressively worse in the Northwest Territories over the past couple weeks, forcing over 19,000 residents to flee Yellowknife last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday as the flames got dangerously close to the capital city.
On Monday, around 350 Canadian military personnel were deployed to fight the fires around Yellowknife and the Hay River.
A total of 238 active wildfires are burning across the territory.