“Everyone is very happy to be home” – Winnipeg Free Press

Dolly Charlotte cries as she walks back to her Cranberry Portage home Sunday morning, more than a week after she and hundreds of residents fled the raging wildfires that engulfed the community.

“I was so happy to come home, the city seemed normal,” Charlette said by phone, describing how a group of firefighters organized a welcome party to welcome evacuees.

“They had a big welcome sign and just waved and that was it.”

Large areas near Cranberry Portage have been burning since May 9, prompting evacuation orders that have forced more than 500 people out of the community and nearly 700 people out of the region in total.

Areas evacuated included Cranberry Portage and nearby Sourdough Bay, Whitefish Lake, Twin Lakes and Schist Lake North Cottage subdivisions.

The province lifted the orders effective at 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 11.

Charlette, who spent a week in Pa with her sister and other evacuee family members, wasted no time getting home, walking through her door less than 15 minutes after the barricades outside the community came down, she said.

“We are very happy to be in our own bed, in our own space, in our own everything. We're all coming off (of stress) and the fatigue is just coming.”

The weather in the community, about 600 kilometers northwest of Winnipeg, was cool and wet into the morning, with rain and the smell of wildfire smoke lingering, Charlett said.

Environment Canada reports say the temperature will be 4 degrees before an overcast afternoon and drop to 2 degrees overnight. The rain and showers will continue until Thursday, when the sun will return and temperatures could reach 12 degrees.

The latest fire update on the province's wildfire map, released Saturday, said the fire had burned about 37,000 hectares.

In a news release Friday, the province said the fire line near Cranberry Portage is under control thanks to favorable weather and the work of firefighters.

Charlotte lives on the north side of the community, where the fire is 1.5 kilometers away. The devastation caused by the blaze cannot be seen from his home, but the “constant” sound of helicopters flying overhead is a reminder that firefighters will continue to battle the blaze.

“I try to stay home and stay out of their way,” he said.

The province deployed six water bombers, seven helicopters and more than 200 provincial personnel to fight the fire. Additional firefighters were recruited interprovincially, including 40 from Ontario, 20 from New Brunswick, 21 from Quebec and five from Park Canada, the province previously announced.

The fire damaged several properties in the area, but affected residents should be notified before reopening, he said.

Evacuee Angel Sloboda returned to Cranberry Portage with her home and business intact except for spoiled food in her refrigerator due to intermittent power outages in the area for the past week.

“I'm thankful for all the volunteers and the Manitoba Hydro crews who restored the power,” he said by phone.

Community officials set up trailers at a local curling rink to collect spoiled food until regular garbage collection resumes next week.

Unlike many evacuees who fled to Paz or Flin Flon, Sloboda and two of her neighbors headed about 100 kilometers east to the town of Snowy Lake, where they stayed with their son.

She described herself as “completely exhausted” but said she wanted life to go back to normal.

“I will go back to work (Monday) morning,” said Sloboda, who works as a hair stylist. “You don't work, you don't get paid.”

Both Sloboda and Charlette thanked Blair and Melissa Lundy, the owners of MnB Gas Bar, who stayed in the community throughout the week to support the evacuation and feed the firefighters.

“I just came home from their shop and I gave them some gift certificates to get their hair done,” Sloboda said. “We've had a little bit of a tear, and I'm hoping to see (Melissa Lundy) next week so she can rest.”

The pair continued to use the pumps Sunday as evacuees alternated sleeping and returning to avoid exhaustion, Melissa Lundy said by phone.

“People flow in all day,” he said. “A few people stopped by to bring us cards and flowers, so it was very thoughtful; definitely emotional.”

“It's a good feeling. Everyone is very happy to be home. It is impossible to fully return to your community. Nothing is lost.'

Melissa said the Cranberry Portage community has always shown an ability to pull together in difficult times, and the evacuation was the latest example of many.

Lori Forbes, emergency coordinator for the rural municipality of Kelsey, said Sunday afternoon that efforts to help residents return to the community were proceeding smoothly.

“We're not seeing too many bass here this morning and that's a good sign. That tells me everybody is going home or going home,” he said by phone from the Wescana Inn, where RM set up an evacuee reception center last week.

“I couldn't (feel) better, I'll tell you.”

RM served breakfast to evacuees in Wescanada, 85 kilometers north of Cranberry Portage. People were served coffee, muffins and bannock, and the RM organized a bus to help displaced residents return home.

“It's a small community, so we didn't have a lot of people to turn back, but they were coming back at 10:15 a.m.,” Forbes said, explaining that most residents were able to organize their own services. own transportation.

Forbes praised The Pas, Flin Flon and RM of Kelsey for their response to the emergency.

“These communities have done everything they can to support these efforts, so we thank them for that, and now we just need to move on and get back to life.”

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Tyler Searle
Reporter

Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who writes for the Free Press' city desk. Since joining the paper in 2022, he's been on a blizzard, documenting protests and checking under bridges for potential incidents.

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