Latest news with #BrandonDulewich
CTV News
07-07-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Lynn Lake mayor calling for resources as wildfire threatens community
Lynn Lake Mayor Brandon Dulewich shares how the latest wildfire evacuation unfolded and the toll on residents. The mayor of Lynn Lake, Man., says the community is in need of more firefighting resources as a wildfire threatens the area. On Monday, Mayor Brandon Dulewich said only essential staff and firefighters remain in town. He added that though several crews are expected to leave on Tuesday, there aren't many resources coming in as a replacement. 'It's not reassuring news,' he said in an interview with CTV Morning Live. Dulewich is now asking the government for 'any and all help,' noting that Lynn Lake may not have the resources to tackle any new fires. 'We had some lightning last night. I can only anticipate some new starts out of that,' he said. 'This fire that we're dealing with now… It is a new start that happened, I think, five days ago, but it's something we didn't anticipate.' This news comes days after Lynn Lake residents were forced to evacuate for the second time this year as a wildfire threatened Manitoba Hydro transmission lines. As of Monday morning, the fire had burned through one of the transmission line poles, but the town has not lost power. 'We're hoping this morning they can get out and actually assess the line and see what kind of damage is actually there,' Dulewich said. The mayor added that the mood around the town was low as residents fled last week, though the evacuation process went more smoothly the second time around. 'Speaking with the residents, it sounds like this second evacuation was handled much better than the first, and the living conditions for people are leaps and bounds above the first time,' he said. Dulewich said crews are currently prepared for the fire to enter the town as they've staged fire trucks in strategic locations around the community. 'Looks like Wednesday the wind is going to have a pretty strong push into town,' he said. 'It will be a day that will definitely test what we've set up in town.' • With files from CTV's Rachel Lagacé.
CTV News
07-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Manitoba to give update on wildfire situation following evacuations
Lynn Lake Mayor Brandon Dulewich shares how the latest wildfire evacuation unfolded and the toll on residents. The Manitoba government will give an update on the current wildfire situation in the province on Monday afternoon. Kristin Hayward with Manitoba Wildfire Service and Christine Stevens with the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization will speak to media at 12:45 p.m. CTV News will live-stream the conference. This update comes after seven homes were destroyed in Tataskweyak Cree Nation over the weekend, and Lynn Lake announced a mandatory evacuation of the community Friday as a wildfire threatened the town's power supply. According to the Manitoba fire bulletin released Friday, there are 64 active wildfires burning in Manitoba. This is a developing story. More details to come.
CTV News
04-07-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Northern Manitoba community evacuates for second time due to wildfire threats
Colleen Bready has your current conditions and updated weather forecast for July 4, 2025. A northern Manitoba community has evacuated for the second time this year as a wildfire nearby is threatening Manitoba Hydro transmission lines. Lynn Lake announced a mandatory evacuation of all 600 residents Friday morning. 'Once the fire reaches that line and takes out some of the wooden pole structures, we anticipate power being out for upwards of a month,' said Lynn Lake Mayor Brandon Dulewich. Lynn Lake wildfire A wildfire is seen burning near Lynn Lake, Man. in July 2025. (Maggie Braido) Lynn Lake residents first evacuated due to wildfires on May 27 and returned June 20. Dulewich said the fire was originally under control and being held due to efforts from the province, but recent lightning strikes ignited a new fire. He added winds are also pushing the flames towards the transmission line. 'It's not a question of if it'll burn the line. It's just a question of when,' he said. 'So we're anticipating any minute right now losing power to the community.' lynn lake fire A wildfire is seen burning near Lynn Lake, Man. in July 2025. (Maggie Braido) lynn lake fire A wildfire is seen burning near Lynn Lake, Man. in July 2025. (Maggie Braido) Dulewich said firefighters are making it a priority to protect the community and keep the fire at bay, however, notes they need more resources. 'We're trying to work with whatever resources we have,' he said. The town is offering transportation for evacuees and a reception centre has been set up in Brandon, about 1,100 kilometres south of Lynn Lake. -With files from CTV's Alex Karpa and The Canadian Press
CBC
04-07-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Lynn Lake residents evacuate by bus, plane to Brandon amid wildfire threat
The community of Lynn Lake evacuated again Friday with hundreds boarding planes to Brandon — the second time in a little over a month residents of the northern Manitoba town have been forced out due to wildfires. Lynn Lake's 600 residents were notified late Thursday night through the town's Facebook page that a mandatory evacuation order was in place again, only two weeks after they returned from an earlier evacuation. Buses and planes were expected to transport residents to hotels in Brandon — nearly 800 kilometres south of Lynn Lake — as opposed to the northern city of Thompson, where they went after the earlier evacuation order issued on May 27. That order was lifted on June 20. Lynn Lake Mayor Brandon Dulewich said during the previous stint, some residents stayed at a congregate shelter on cots, with only access to group showers, but that won't happen this time. "[It was] not very good living conditions for the citizens of Lynn Lake, and they were not given hotel rooms," he told Radio-Canada. "We, at that time, seen other communities being evacuated, airlifted straight to Winnipeg, going right into hotel rooms, while our citizens lived on cots, very little blankets, pillows, communal showers." The town's Facebook page suggested Friday that some residents might be first bused to Thompson where they would then catch a flight to Brandon. A wildfire that started from a lightning strike three days ago is responsible for the latest evacuation, Dulewich said. That fire is being pushed by strong winds and may destroy power poles, cutting electricity to the town, the mayor said. "The [hydro] line, we're pretty sure, is not accessible by equipment due to the swamps and that, so it'll be all airlifts to restore it once it's out," he said. Dulewich said evacuees may be out of the community for as long as a month this time. The first mandatory evacuation order for the community, about 800 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, came amid a scourge of wildfires that triggered a provincewide state of emergency in May. That state of emergency was lifted June 23, as conditions improved and many evacuees were able to return to home, though several communities remained on high alert, including Lynn Lake. An out-of-control fire near the community was 71,860 hectares, as of the latest provincial fire bulletin on Thursday.
CBC
20-06-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Lynn Lake residents to return home as wildfire threat fades, health services start to be restored
Residents of Lynn Lake can soon return home, more than three weeks after a wildfire ordered an evacuation of the northern Manitoba community. The town said in a Facebook post Thursday night that residents can return home as of Friday at 8 a.m. Buses are being arranged for those who need assistance, and town officials will be in contact with those individuals, according to the Facebook post. Officials are telling residents, however, they must be ready to evacuate with little notice if fire conditions worsen. Lynn Lake Mayor Brandon Dulewich said the pending return to their town brings an "overwhelming feeling of joy" for him, as well as the evacuees who spent a few weeks sleeping on cots in a makeshift shelter in Thompson, more than 200 kilometres away. "They've been out of the community for I think 24 days now, but we've been trying to bring you home forever." Delays in reopening ER Dulewich said the evacuation order would have been rescinded earlier if health-care services in the town of roughly 600 people could have been restored faster. The emergency department opened again on Thursday, the mayor said. The fire near Lynn Lake is over 71,000 hectares and remains out of control, according to a provincial wildfire bulletin issued on Thursday. Earlier in the day, Kristin Hayward, assistant deputy minister of the Conservation Officer Service and the Manitoba Wildfire Service, said the north half of the blaze is actively burning but the south part, closer to the community, is looking better. The town said on Facebook that "hot spots" from the wildfire remain close to the community. "There is a continued risk of smoke and falling ash, especially during periods of increased wind and heat." Dulewich commended the people of Thompson for voluntarily looking after his community, which is just over 800 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg. He's disappointed that Lynn Lake residents had to endure weeks in a shelter, sleeping on cots, while evacuees from other areas were flown to Winnipeg and stayed in hotel rooms. He wants a fairer system to be developed. "I've gone blue in the face, yelling at different agencies, trying to get the basic humane living conditions for the citizens of Lynn Lake," Dulewich said. "It's unbelievable that they had to have to stay in the makeshift shelter for this long."
