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.