The Town of Leaf Rapids declared a state of emergency Monday evening and directed its roughly 350 residents to head to the city of Thompson. Evacuees began arriving there later that night.
The City of Thompson says in a social media post that 200 cots were set up at a local arena for those who weren’t able to stay with family or friends.
A limited number of hotel rooms were allotted to priority evacuees, including the elderly, those with health conditions and families with young children.
“The plan is for Thompson to serve as a temporary evacuation centre for Leaf Rapids residents, some of whom may then be transported by bus to hotels in the Portage la Prairie area,” the city said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
The province’s latest wildfire bulletin shows an out-of-control fire is burning near the town and has been active for two weeks.
The fire is more than 105 square kilometres in size.
Leaf Rapids says in a social media post that the wind direction is expected to change and affect air quality in the region.
The community still had power as of Monday night but some hydro poles had been damaged by the fire, the City of Thompson said.
“Measures to help protect buildings in the communities, such as sprinklers and fire breaks, are being employed,” the post said.
As of Sunday, there were 42 fires burning in the province, with two deemed out of control.
