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Manitoba declares state of emergency

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Premier says 17,000 need to move quickly

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Oil producer Cenovus Energy ( CVE ) evacuates non essential

workers

(Recasts with Manitoba state of emergency, evacuations)

By Ed White

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, May 28 (Reuters) - Manitoba declared

a state of emergency and urged thousands of people in northern

and eastern parts of the province to evacuate on Wednesday, as

wildfires spread in Central and Western Canada.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said at a news conference that

17,000 people needed to move quickly, including from the city of

Flin Flon. Many will be put up at soccer fields and community

centers in Winnipeg and other cities, and federal armed forces

were arriving to help transport evacuees, he said.

"This is the largest evacuation in many Manitobans' living

memory and this will require significant resources and

co-operation from all levels of government, Kinew said in a

statement.

Separately, wildfires in Alberta province have prompted a

temporary shutdown of some oil and gas production and forced

residents of at least one small town to evacuate.

Oil producer Cenovus Energy ( CVE ) said it was scaling

back nonessential workers at its Foster Creek facility in

response to the wildfires in northern Alberta.

Cenovus' Foster Creek operation is among a number of oil

sands facilities operated by companies with assets in the

Bonnyville-Cold Lake region.

That region was affected on Wednesday by wildfires spanning

2,900 hectares (11.2 square miles) near Chipewyan Lake, a small

community in the northern part of the province approximately 130

km (81 miles) west of the oil sands hub of Fort McMurray.

Cenovus said it was closely monitoring the evolving wildfire

situation and the staffing measure was a precaution.

Alberta government officials said on Wednesday there was no

current threat to Chipewyan Lake, but residents have been placed

on a one-hour evacuation notice as winds could shift.

Another blaze, nearly 1,600 hectares in size, is burning out

of control about 7 km north of Swan Hills, also in the

province's north.

The approximately 1,200 residents of Swan Hills were ordered

to evacuate on Monday evening. One oil and gas producer in that

area, Aspenleaf Energy, said on Monday it had temporarily halted

operations as a precaution and shut in approximately 4,000

barrels per day of oil equivalent production.