Note: This story is a live file and will be updated as new information arrives. This story was last updated at 4 p.m. local time Wednesday.
As of 4 p.m., a mandatory evacuation order is in effect for Flin Flon, Creighton and Denare Beach.
According to Mayors George Fontaine and Bruce Fidler, local leadership have declared orders for all residents of Flin Flon and Creighton.
The main issue leading to the evacuation order is travelability for Manitoba Highway 10. The highway may not be passable for drivers as early as Thursday. Saskatchewan Highway 106 - the Hanson Lake Road - has been opened on an emergency basis for people needing to leave the area, but the road will still be closed - anyone needing to return to the area will not be allowed to.
Fontaine called for an orderly evacuation of local residents along Highway 10.
"No jackass stuff," he said.
The following information was current as of 3 p.m. local time, but may no longer be current as of time of reading.
Earlier Tuesday, leading Manitoba officials had a big message for Flin Flon residents Wednesday morning - be ready to leave if things get worse.
The situation with the Club/WE024 fire worsened through Tuesday and the fire has dramatically grown, leading to fears that residents may need to evacuate the community if the situation gets more dire.
In a press conference held May 28 in Winnipeg, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and deputy minister for the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization Christine Stevens said that people living in Flin Flon should be prepared for a potential short-notice evacuation. The City of Flin Flon issued what it called a "pre-alert evacuation notice" Tuesday night.
"If you're in Flin Flon, we're asking you to prepare for a potential evacuation," said Kinew.
"On the City's Facebook page, you can see information about how to get ready and if the order comes, we're asking you to listen."
"Should it be required and should the situation escalate, we're asking folks in the community of Flin Flon to pay attention to the direction of local officials. The situation is dynamic and it's changing hour to hour," said Stevens.
"The Office of the Fire Commissioner is in the community supporting the local fire department with suppression operations, response planning and incident command."
Stevens also said patients have already started to be moved out of Flin Flon General Hospital in preparation.
"Coordination is happening between the province and the local government and we continue to be engaged," said Stevens.
The Northern Health Region confirmed that later Wednesday, saying that the group was acting "out of an abundance of caution" and that programs and services operated by the NHR would continue operating.
"To prioritize the safety and continued care of our patients, Northern Health Region has made the decision to proactively relocate higher acuity patients out of the community of Flin Flon," reads the statement.
"We will keep you informed about your loved one’s location and care throughout this process."
Transport and accommodation
Finding accommodation may prove difficult. Hotel space in Winnipeg is already packed due to fires causing evacuations elsewhere in the province already. Premier Kinew said that communities and people in different parts of the province may need to step up to assist.
"For the rest of the province, now is the time to get ready to support. The hotels are already full across Manitoba, so we're going to be turning to other folks in the community, not necessarily private residences, but companies and communities across the province to potentially open your doors," said Kinew.
"If we have to move a community of 6,000 people thereabouts, then we are going to be turning to people for help."
Kinew said the province may need to rely on congregate shelters for people having to leave Flin Flon.
"The hotels are full. If we need to move people, we will be turning to congregate shelters. We're already turning to that in certain situations around the province today," he said.
"It's a complex effort. It involves coordinating health care and different levels of government and of course, great people and communities across the Manitoba landscape to respond. However, we want to underline the severity of the situation. We are not going to be coming calling for nothing. If you do get a call from an official asking you to open your doors, whether it's a rec center or a larger facility or building, we need you to take the call and to say, 'Yes.' This is a very, very important time. As we look at Flin Flon, a well known community and very large community potentially looking at an evacuation, at the same time that many other communities are already there."
If Flin Flonners need to get out, there is currently only one way out by road - Manitoba Highway 10 south, heading to The Pas. The road was partially closed Tuesday due to a fire near Wanless, but it is fully open again as of noon Wednesday.
The Hanson Lake Road is cut off from Creighton to the Pelican Narrows turnoff as a result of yet another fire burning across the road. The so-called "tote road" route - going from Manitoba Highway 10 to The Pas, then taking Manitoba Highway 283 into Saskatchewan, then Saskatchewan Highways 9 and 55 - is also still open. Manitoba Highways 39, 60 and 6, which could be used as routes to Winnipeg, are also open.
Firefighting
Leading Manitoba officials said the fire near Flin Flon is currently among the province's top priorities for firefighting during the press conference. Members of both the Flin Flon and Creighton volunteer fire departments have worked on the fire since it was first reported - provincial fire crews from the Manitoba Wildfire Service and the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency are also helping fight the flames, with aerial support in the skies and more fire attack helicopters coming last night.
"Our main priority this morning is fire WE024 near Flin Flon," said Kristin Hayward, Manitoba's assistant deputy minister for the Manitoba Wildfire Service.
"We've been working very closely with Saskatchewan on suppression efforts due to the fire's intensity, we weren't able to put a lot of resources onto that fire yesterday and neither could Saskatchewan."
The fire has continued growing, said Hayward - further updates are expected later Wednesday. Helicopters and water bombers were back in the air Wednesday morning, audible over Flin Flon on their way to fight the flames.
"We are hearing this morning that the fire does continue to grow, so we are doing assessments to figure out exactly what the extent of it is, what fuels are near that fire and how we're going to be able to respond to that today. We will be updating both the City of Flin Flon and Creighton on that later this morning," said Hayward.
Data
According to Natural Resources Canada data, the fire has reached almost 22,000 hectares in area. Despite having started in Saskatchewan at the Creighton landfill, the fire has mostly crossed into Manitoba, advancing to the northeast with the wind.
Natural Resources Canada and NASA/Fire Information for Resource Management System data show that the fire is now approaching territory burned by the WE017 fire near Sherridon and Kississing Lake - that fire has already forced Sherridon residents to evacuate the area.
Manitoba and Saskatchewan have different naming conventions for fires - in Saskatchewan, the fire is officially called the Club fire, while it is called the WE024 fire in Manitoba. To lessen confusion, The Reminder is referring to the blaze as the Club/WE024 fire, combining both names.
The City of Flin Flon announced Wednesday morning that is restoring its Flin Flon Connect emergency messaging service, which will send emails, texts and phone calls to people about emergency conditions. People can sign up for the service by going to the City of Flin Flon's website.
Drones and human causes
Hayward also said that firefighting efforts needed to be grounded for part of Tuesday after a drone was spotted near the fire site. The Manitoba Wildfire Service, City of Flin Flon and other organizations each issued statements Monday and Tuesday warning people to stop flying drones near fire sites - doing so not only forces water bombers and helicopters to land, but could also mean thousands of dollars in fines for the person flying the drone.
"Unfortunately, aircraft had to be grounded off that fire yesterday due to a drone incursion in the airspace over the fire," said Hayward.
"It's disappointing that folks are not hearing the message that flying a drone near a wildfire is dangerous and does impede our efforts to respond."
Manitoba now has 18 active wildfires, all but four of which are considered by the Manitoba Wildfire Service as "human caused" - that could range from a campfire that wasn't properly put out, a cigarette flicked into a bush, a spark from a vehicle or any non-natural cause. The Club/WE024 fire is listed as having been "human caused" by the Manitoba Wildfire Service and the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA)
Almost three times more land has already burned this summer compared to Manitoba's average in the last five years - 198,000 hectares this year compared to an average of 70,500.
"That's largely due to conditions, the temperatures, very low humidity, lack of precipitation and a lot of available fuels," Hayward said.
Notices
The Town of Creighton followed suit with Flin Flon Wednesday, calling their own "pre-alert evacuation notice" May 28. Much like the City of Flin Flon's announcement the night earlier, dry conditions and the fire being nearby led to the decision.
"Residents are advised to stay alert and begin planning for a potential evacuation, which could happen on short notice should the situation escalate," reads the notice.
"Currently, the winds are in our favour, but at midnight there is predicted to be a slight wind shift and we could experience heavy smoke."
Both the Town of Creighton and Northern Village of Denare Beach have also issued bans on driving quads or other all-terrain vehicles within and around the communities, including on nearby trails or on local streets. Flin Flon has had a similar ban in place since May 8.
Clean air shelters have been set up at the Flin Flon Community Hall and DenarePlex - anyone with respiratory issues worsened by the smoke can head to the halls, where the existing air conditioning units have been outfitted with special air filters to help keep smoke out.
