A water bomber aircraft battles a wildfire in southeast Manitoba on Saturday as wildfires continued to threaten nearby communities.Manitoba government/The Canadian Press

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Wildfires continue to burn in southeast Manitoba on Saturday.Manitoba government/The Canadian Press

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A satellite image shows the Shoe Fire near Little Bear Lake, Sask., on Saturday.MAXAR TECHNOLOGIES/Reuters

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A dense cloud of wildfire smoke billows over Highway 97, north of Buckinghorse River, B.C. on Friday.Nasuna Stuart-Ulin/The Canadian Press

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Wildfire smoke is seen from a vehicle on Highway 97, north of Buckinghorse River, B.C. on Friday.Nasuna Stuart-Ulin/The Canadian Press

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A temporary emergency centre in Winnipeg, Man., on Friday, where many from the Flin Flon area have fled wildfires.Ed White/Reuters

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A man walks his dogs along Highway 97 under a sky filled with wildfire smoke near Buckinghorse River, B.C. on Friday.Nasuna Stuart-Ulin/The Canadian Press

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Wildfire smoke is seen on Highway 97 north of Buckinghorse River, B.C. on Friday.Nasuna Stuart-Ulin/The Canadian Press

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A helicopter flies through wildfire smoke over Highway 97, north of Buckinghorse River, B.C. on Friday.Nasuna Stuart-Ulin/The Canadian Press

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Smoke rises from the Sousa Creek wildfire HWF036 east of Rainbow Lake, Alta., on Thursday.Alberta Wildfire/Reuters

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Canadian Armed Forces personnel assist in the evacuation of locals from the Pimicikamak Cree Nation in Cross Lake, Man., on Thursday.Canadian Forces/Reuters

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The Hubert Lake wildfire WWF023 forced the evacuation of the Hubert Lake Provincial Park area west of Fawcett, Alta. on Thursday.Alberta Wildfire/Reuters

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Wildfires rage on in Wanless, northern Manitoba, on Thursday.The Associated Press

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Smoke rises from the wildfire G90216 north of Fort Nelson, B.C., on Wednesday.BC Wildfire/Reuters

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Volunteers working with thousands of Manitobans forced from their homes owing to encroaching wildfires are scrambling to find accommodations for evacuees, with some leaving the province for the first time to shelter as far away as Niagara Falls, Ont.

First Nations leaders say that lodging is severely limited in Winnipeg, leaving those without other options to sleep on cots in converted arenas and stadiums – inadequate arrangements for elders and those with serious medical conditions.

But travelling even further is a challenge for some, said volunteer Sheena Garrick, who woke up evacuees at a converted soccer arena in Winnipeg in the early hours of Sunday to ask if they wanted to go to Niagara Falls. Several were apprehensive and decided not to leave.

“They’re already in an unfamiliar place in Winnipeg. They’re away from home, and then to come further away, there was just a lot of fear,” said Ms. Garrick, who is a member of the Pimicikamak Cree Nation. “It’s such a desperate time.” The entire community, which has more than 8,000 residents, is under a mandatory evacuation order.

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A reception centre for evacuees of the wildfires in northern Manitoba, staffed by provincial Emergency Social Services and the Canadian Red Cross, at the Billy Mosienko Arena in Winnipeg on Thursday.David Lipnowski/The Canadian Press

Some residents of the First Nation, which is about 500 kilometres north of Winnipeg on the shores of Cross Lake, didn’t know where Niagara Falls was and worried how they would manage so far from home.

“Some of them have never been out of Cross Lake, let alone out of province into a big city,” said Brenda Frogg, a member of the Pimicikamak Cree Nation council.

In all, 47 evacuees boarded the first flight to Hamilton on Sunday morning, less than half the available capacity, said Ms. Garrick, who accompanied them on the journey.

More than 17,000 Manitobans have been forced from their homes in what has been a particularly challenging start to the wildfire season. In Saskatchewan, more than 8,000 people have been ordered to evacuate. Both provinces declared provincewide states of emergency last week.

Manitoba evacuates hundreds more and Saskatchewan requests help from U.S. as wildfires rage

Hundreds of northern Manitoba residents were airlifted south on Sunday as military crews continued efforts to evacuate communities threatened by out-of-control wildfires.

Pukatawagan, also known as the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, was ordered to evacuate last Wednesday but heavy smoke forced the closing of the remote community’s only airport from Thursday to Saturday morning, stranding more than 2,000 residents.

On Saturday and Sunday, Canadian Forces Chinook helicopters transported evacuees from Pukatawagan to The Pas, about 200 kilometres south. It was expected that all residents would be out by the end of the weekend.

Mathias Colomb Cree Nation Councillor Connie Constant said Sunday that most evacuees will continue on to Winnipeg, while some will go to other cities in Manitoba and some to Ontario – “where there is room, as space comes up.”

Pimicikamak Chief David Monias pleaded with hotel operators to find room for the displaced.

“Families have fled their homes under terrifying conditions and have nowhere to go,” he said in a statement issued Saturday. “We need you to act now. Open your doors, work with us and help ensure our citizens are treated with dignity during this crisis.”

On Sunday, two flights carrying evacuees from Pimicikamak departed Winnipeg for Hamilton. The residents were then bused to hotels in Niagara Falls.

After arriving in that city, evacuees were greeted with a warm meal and smooth check-in to hotel rooms, Ms. Garrick said. Many took showers and spent the afternoon resting.

The Canadian Armed Forces said it had transported more than 2,600 evacuees in Manitoba by late Saturday.

There were 25 wildfires burning in Manitoba on Sunday. There have been 106 wildfires in the province to date this year – well above the average for this time period of 84, according to the Manitoba Wildfire Service.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford said that his province is expecting to receive “hundreds, or even thousands” of Manitobans in the coming days.

“We welcome as many as we can take,” he said at an unrelated news conference with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe on Sunday. “That’s what we do. We’re all Canadians.”

In Saskatchewan, there were 15 active wildfires in the province on Sunday, of which eight were not contained. Timber Bay, a hamlet with 81 residents located in north-central Saskatchewan, was ordered to evacuate on Sunday morning.

Aircraft from B.C., Quebec and Alaska have been deployed to help battle the wildfires in the province.

Mr. Moe called the situation “pretty dire” and likely to continue to deteriorate until the province receives several days of rain.

“We’re doing everything we can, with over 20 aircraft and in excess of 1,000 people on the ground,” he told the news conference.

Evacuees have occupied available accommodations within Saskatchewan, and there was even spillover into Cold Lake in northern Alberta, Steve Roberts, vice-president of operations at the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, told a separate news conference on Sunday.

So far this year, there have been 214 wildfires in Saskatchewan, compared with 129 over the same period for the five-year average.

In Northern Ontario, about 400 people from Webequie First Nation are expected to be transported to Barrie, Ont., in the coming days as the province grapples with 16 active wildfires in the Northwest Region in various stages of control, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources.

In Alberta, there were 47 active wildfires on Sunday afternoon, including 24 deemed out of control.

Quebec Premier François Legault said Sunday that his province will send a specialized management team to assist with Alberta’s wildfires on Tuesday, along with three groups of 20 firefighters to Manitoba.