Red Cross setting up emergency shelter for Manitoba wildfire evacuees

A fire burns near Pukatawagan, Manitoba shortly after 1 p.m. on July 14, 2022. An evacuation order was issued for the community (Photo courtesy Ralph Caribou).

The Canadian Red Cross is working to evacuate residents of Mathias Colomb Cree Nation as an out-of-control wildfire continues to threaten the remote Manitoba First Nation.

Officials say the fire doubled in size overnight and is now raging just two kilometres away from Pukatawagan, the First Nation's largest community.

Val Charette works as a mental health therapist there. She says the fire has kept her away since Thursday.

"It was just this disbelief of how big the fires were surrounding the community, and how many fires there were," she said. "We've just been keeping busy, going on four hours of sleep, just trying to do everything we can."

The Red Cross is helping to evacuate residents to Thompson and The Pas.

"It's our goal, between planes and trains, to get them out by the end of tonight," said Communications Manager Jason Small.

The humanitarian organization is setting up an emergency shelter space for evacuees at the University of Winnipeg in case they run out of hotel space.

"This is obviously not the ideal choice," said Small. "We'd rather people go to hotels, but we have this in case it's needed."

The provincial government says additional resources are coming to help battle the blaze. The Northwest Territories has sent water bombers to help, and up to 40 firefighters are flying in from Ontario.

CTV News has reached out to the First Nation's chief and council, but have not heard back.