Note: This story is a live file and will be updated as new information arrives. This story was last updated at 3 p.m. Thursday.
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.
A key transport link for the north has partially reopened as firefighters continue to battle flames in the area.
The four combined fires have now burned over 468,000 hectares of land - but one big change has happened to help the fight. Manitoba Highway 10 has partially reopened near Wanless, allowing supplies to come back up north quicker.
Flin Flon and all nearby communities are still under mandatory evacuation, but one of the main roads into and out of the region has opened back up, allowing heavy equipment to get back up north to fight the fires. According to Manitoba 511, the highway reopened at 2 p.m. local time. The WE023 fire, the blaze that prompted the closure last week, is still active and considered "out of control" by Manitoba Wildfire Services as of Thursday, burning about 4,900 hectares of forest, but recent hotspots have been reported away from the highway according to Natural Resources Canada.
The road is still closed to the public at the junction with Highway 39, shutting off Highway 10 about 10 kilometres south of Cranberry Portage.
The battle against the beast continues around Flin Flon and Creighton, but the news still, as of Thursday morning, remains good - according to the City of Flin Flon, no structures have yet burned in either Creighton or Flin Flon, with the fire burning more intensely around sparsely populated areas.
"With a team of 260 dedicated and experienced personnel holding back the fire, neither Flin Flon nor Creighton have lost structures so far. Volunteer firefighters from departments across Manitoba are assisting, covering the area from Creighton to Bakers Narrows," reads the City's June 5 update.
"The fire has moved further into Manitoba to the southeast of Flin Flon and Creighton. Asset protection is being implemented in the Channing area and the southern parts of Flin Flon."
More intense burning for the fires near cabin areas is expected, though value protection is in place at different subdivisions near Bakers Narrows, Big Island Lake, Westwood Lodge and Schist Lake. Fire crews will seek to stop the fire by Flin Flon Airport. The southern arm of the fire, which is now stretching into the portage between Little and Big Athapap at Tin Can Narrows, is being held back for now - the fire hasn't jumped onto nearby islands or burned any existing infrastructure, including nearby rail bridges used by Hudbay.
The Camp/WE024 and adjoining fires are seeing patches of isolated burns as of Thursday afternoon according to Natural Resources Canada data. Most recent hotspot clusters have been reported on the shore of Jan Lake north of the community of Jan Lake and Jan Lake Lodge, swaths of brush between Creighton and Denare Beach in areas that have already burned, the southernmost point of Phantom Lake and south of Naosap Lake.
Between northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan, over 30,000 people have been evacuated from their homes as of Thursday.
According to Environment Canada, rain is in the forecast for both Saturday and Sunday - a 60 per cent chance of showers Saturday and rain showers expected through the overnight period and Sunday. Weather Thursday was still dry, but the wind has slowed down from earlier this week and temperatures have dropped.
For evacuees who have had to flee their homes, Canada Post announced Thursday it would be opening up free mail forwarding for up to 12 months. People can register at canadapost.ca/mailforward to get their mail sent to wherever they end up if they have an eligible postal code from Cross Lake (R0B), Flin Flon (R8A), Lynn Lake (R0B), Norway House (R0B 1B0), Pukatawagan (R0B) and Sherridon (R0B).
Residents can apply for free mail forwarding until July 5.
This week's issue of The Reminder is both online-only and free - you can read it in its entirety here.
