WINNIPEG — Residents of two communities were preparing to head home Tuesday, while another community was being evacuated, as crews continued to battle wildfires across a large swath of the Prairies.
Some of the 2,400 residents of Tataskweyak Cree Nation in northern Manitoba started making their way back, two months after they were forced to leave by encroaching fire.
"It's very good news this week," Chief Doreen Spence said in a video posted to Facebook on Monday night.
People will have to throw out food from their refrigerators because the community has been evacuated since late May and plagued with power outages, she added.
Tataskweyak, 700 kilometres north of Winnipeg, was initially threatened by one fire, and problems soon erupted at the local water treatment plant and prevented people from returning.
Another fire broke out July 4, sweeping into the community and destroying seven homes.
Residents will be re-entering in stages, from Winnipeg, Niagara Falls, Ont., and other areas. The last group — elders and families with young children — is scheduled to return Friday and Saturday.
In Saskatchewan, about 700 people in Beauval can start returning home Wednesday after being out of the village for nearly a month due to fires.
Mayor Rick Laliberte said in a video on social media that a state of emergency will remain in effect until Aug. 6 to allow officials to provide services to those who aren’t comfortable returning, including people with health issues, children and seniors.
“Beauval itself is safe from fire,” he said of the village 400 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon. “(But) we’re not out of fire season yet.”
Many fires remained out of control in the Prairie provinces. The one near Tataskweyak was listed at 250 square kilometres in the most recent Manitoba government update.
A fire near Snow Lake, Man., an evacuated community of 1,000 people, measured 280 square kilometres. Crews battled a flare-up on a golf course overnight, a town official said in a written statement.
A new evacuation order was issued Tuesday for the roughly 300 residents of Cormorant, Man., an unincorporated community near The Pas. An out-of-control fire was within 12 kilometres of the community.
Other areas remained under evacuation orders, including Leaf Rapids, Lynn Lake and Mathias Colomb Cree Nation.
Leaders in O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation, where elders and people with health concerns have been evacuated, called for more help Tuesday to fight a stubborn fire that has cut off power and, at times, restricted road access.
"We're operating on generators and our ... health centre has a critical need for proper generators," Chief Shirley Ducharme said.
In Beauval, Laliberte said the military has moved in to help contain the nearby blaze, along with firefighters from Ontario, Quebec and Mexico.
He said a curfew remains in place and there are road closures to Jans Bay, west of Beauval. The mayor also warned people to stay out of burned-out areas.
“The fire came right into our community and as you will see it, it’s quite a devastation,” Laliberte said. “But we are safe, our homes were saved by the firefighters, so there’s much appreciation to our firefighting teams.”
Saskatchewan reported 60 active wildfires as of Tuesday. Manitoba reported 127. Many areas of Manitoba were under severe smoke-health warnings and advisories.
With more than 10,000 square kilometres burned so far, this fire season is the worst in at least 30 years, Manitoba officials have said.
— With files from Jeremy Simes in Regina
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2025.
Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press
