Note: This story is a live file and will be updated as new information arrives. This story was last updated at 9 p.m.Tuesday.
Staff members from The Reminder have evacuated Flin Flon, but will keep writing updates as long as possible during the emergency. If you have questions or concerns you would like us to chase or add here about the fire, evacuations or anything else, please notify us at [email protected].
Anyone seeking to register with the Red Cross or to donate to their campaign can do so at https://www.redcross.ca/2025manitobawildfires or 1-800-863-6582.
Fires threatening the north have slowed their growth in the past few days. Pelican Narrows residents are getting the green light to head home and a northern mine project will reopen later this week.
As of June 10, the Club/WE024 fire and the Wolf fire, which threatened and burned homes in the area, have combined with the same fires that threatened Pelican Narrows and Sherridon, creating a complex that has burned almost a 200-kilometre-long swath of land. All told, about 516,000 hectares of land has burned in the fire. Active hotspot clusters were still being reported Tuesday morning, with some reported south of the Hanson Lake Road and others found west and north of Mari Lake.
Intermittent rain has been reported in Flin Flon throughout Tuesday, with more showers likely coming this evening and into Wednesday. While no more rain is in the forecast after Wednesdy until the weekend, overnight lows are likely to drop down into the single digits and daytime highs are expected to be between the late teens and low 20s for much of the week, according to Environment Canada forecasts.
Flin Flon and Creighton have, as of press time, dodged major property damage as a result of the fire. Neither community has had a single structure fire within local limits as of Tuesday, though nearby cabin areas have been hit by the fires.
Evacuation orders are still in effect for Flin Flon, Creighton, Denare Beach, all nearby cabin areas and most communities across the region, through northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
“There have been no structure fires in Flin Flon to date. Our crews continue to extinguish hot spots as they are identified,” reads an update from the City of Flin Flon issued June 9.
“As this is an active and volatile situation, we are still under a mandatory evacuation order, as well as a state of emergency. Only authorized emergency personnel are permitted to enter the community.”
The area has taken advantage of higher humidity, lower temperatures and even some rain over the weekend and earlier this week. The area only got rain twice since spring snow melt before last weekend.
“The crews are still monitoring the community and doing some mop up. Hoping for more rain in the next couple of days. An assessment of the fires will be done after that. Still no loss of structures reported within Creighton,” reads an update from the Town of Creighton issued June 9. The evacuation order for the communities is still in effect and highways leading to Flin Flon are all still closed as of Tuesday morning.
“The mandatory evacuation remains in effect. No one other than authorized personnel should be in the Town or region. We will inform residents when it is safe to return home. This may take some time as essential services need to be restored.”
Pelican Narrows
There is still hope in the north, coming in the form of Pelican Narrows. The community, which was threatened by the same wildfire complex that threatened Flin Flon, Creighton and Snow Lake and heavily burned Denare Beach, announced June 8 that some residents will be able to come home.
“Due to improved weather conditions, healthy evacuees with their own vehicles may begin returning to Pelican Narrows,” reads a statement issued by Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation (PBCN) June 8.
Part of the Hanson Lake Road, which had been heavily blocked off and closed during the fight against the fires, was reopened earlier this week, allowing for drivers to head from Prince Albert and Saskatoon up to Pelican Narrows. That, combined with rain in the area and the fire seeing less active burn around the area, led to the call to bring some people home.
At first, PBCN advised that priority one and two evacuees (young children or anyone who has chronic, respiratory or heart conditions or is pregnant) and home care clients and elders should avoid heading home for now. However, as of Tuesday evening, priority one and two evacuees have been approved to come home according to the band.
Services in the area may still be scarce. Anyone returning has been told by PBCN that nearby hospitals and health facilities are either still closed or only partially open, a boil water advisory will be in effect and people should plan for medication and fuel to not be available locally for a time. Power outages are also scheduled for several PBCN and area communities through this week, including Pelican Narrows and Deschambault Lake.
PBCN will operate security checkpoints on the way into the community and may conduct screenings if necessary.
Accommodation funds
People evacuated from Saskatchewan communities have had issues accessing emergency funds, leading to a political push by the province’s NDP to force the government’s hand.
Compensation from the Saskatchewan government and the Saskatchewan Red Cross has lagged behind nearby provinces in both timing and amount, putting northerners forced from their homes at possible risk of burning through savings during the fires.
“Living out of a suitcase is expensive – this is one of the biggest concerns we hear from evacuees. People need support to pay for food, fuel and a safe place to sleep,” reads a June 7 statement from the Saskatchewan NDP.
“We don’t know where this crisis is going or when it will end. This is about helping people during one of the hardest moments of their lives.”
While Saskatchewan has offered some assistance for evacuated people, it has fallen behind both Manitoba and Alberta, which have already begun issuing e-transfers and payments for people affected by fires registered with the Red Cross.
“Saskatchewan should follow the lead of Alberta and Manitoba, who have already committed emergency financial support for evacuees,” reads the statement.
“Alberta is offering e-transfers of $1,250 per adult and $500 per child for those evacuated under mandatory orders for more than seven days. Manitoba is providing $34 per day per adult and $27 per day per child, to help cover basic needs while evacuation orders remain in place.”
Foran
Three weeks after it was forced to evacuate its McIlvenna Bay operations, Foran Mining is now planning to bring workers back to the area later this week.
The company issued a statement June 9 that it would be bringing staff members back to work on the site, with a full return to on-site work expected by June 13. The company’s statement states that the McIlvenna Bay site is not expected to be at risk due to nearby fires. That includes the Wolf fire, which caused the area to be evacuated last month before winds changed and took the blaze east, decimating Denare Beach and putting Creighton and Flin Flon at risk.
“Foran Mining is pleased to announce that, following consultation with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) and internal subject matter experts, it has been determined that the McIlvenna Bay project site is no longer under threat from regional wildfires,” reads the statement.
“As a result, Foran has begun a staged and controlled repatriation of personnel to site, proactively managing re-entry safely and responsibly. A full return to site is expected by June 13, positioning the project for a well-coordinated ramp-up of construction activities.”
The Hanson Lake Road is still partially closed to traffic and Flin Flon, Creighton and Denare Beach are all still under mandatory evacuation orders as of press time. However, parts of the Hanson Lake Road between Saskatoon, Prince Albert and Pelican Narrows reopened last weekend and people who were evacuated from Pelican Narrows were allowed to return home.
The company also announced plans to start a relief fund for employees who have been hit hard by the fires, beginning a clothing and essential supplies program for people evacuated from Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation and putting in place “comprehensive safeguarding measures to protect Foran’s people and assets”.
“Wildfires are an unfortunate reality in many remote parts of Canada and this season has brought particular hardship across Saskatchewan and Manitoba. While we are fortunate that the McIlvenna Bay Project remains intact and that our personnel can now begin returning safely, we recognize the broader toll these fires are taking,” said Foran executive chairman and CEO Dan Myerson in the company’s statement.
“Communities, families and colleagues, especially within the local Indigenous Nations with whom we share longstanding and meaningful relationships, are facing profound challenges. At Foran, we are keeping all those affected in our thoughts and are committed to doing our part in the collective recovery.”
