Canadian province declares emergency over wildfires as thousands flee

The Canadian province of Manitoba has declared a state of emergency over a series of wildfires, with Prime Minister Mark Carney agreeing to send in the military to help.

This is the largest evacuation Manitoba will have seen in most people's living memory, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said.

He said the fires forced 17,000 people across several communities to flee.

The military is being called for help here because of the sheer scale of the 17,000 folks that we move relatively quickly. I'm happy to say that Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed to the request, Kinew said. 

The emergency declaration helps officials to safely transport evacuees and provide shelter.

The Manitoba city of Flin Flon earlier ordered all 5,000 residents to leave due to an approaching wildfire. Residents were told they should flee south with their essentials and aim to be out by midnight.

It already begun sending out high-needs hospital patients.

Everybody has to be out by midnight and that includes me. I'm busy packing a couple of things and everybody is getting as organised as we can, Flin Flon Mayor George Fontaine said.

People plan to take Highway 10 as it's the only route out, he said.

That ends up in Winnipeg so we'll see what happens, Fontaine said.

Flin Flon is nearly 643 km northwest of Winnipeg, the provincial capital.

The fire began Monday just north in neighbouring Saskatchewan and has exploded in size. The 1,200 residents of Creighton in Saskatchewan were also ordered to leave.

Crews struggled early on to contain the fire as water bombers were grounded due to a drone flying nearby.

There are 22 active wildfires in Manitoba. Officials said firefighters from across Canada are helping to fight the flames.

On Sunday, a Parks Canada firefighter was severely injured.

So far this year, Manitoba has had 102 fires, which officials say is well above the province's average of 77 by this time.

Canada's wildfire season runs May through September. Its worst-ever wildfire season was in 2023, which choked much of North America with dangerous smoke for months.