Wab Kinew

Premier Wab Kinew toured areas near an out-of-control wildfire in northwestern Manitoba on Tuesday. The fire, discovered Thursday just north of Cranberry Portage and east of Flin Flon, is believed to have been started by lightning strikes. It was intensified by high winds and extremely dry conditions over the weekend, forcing the community of Cranberry Portage to be evacuated. In a Tuesday afternoon update, the province said the fire was about 31,600 hectares in size and about 1½ kilometres from Cranberry Portage. Kinew visited Bakers Narrows, Flin Flon and The Pas and got a look at from above during a helicopter ride. …The wildfire is not yet threatening Flin Flon, but the telecommunications system has been severed, cutting cell phone service and internet access. The city has created a patchwork of communications using the Starlink satellite system to access the internet as much as possible.