Felix Robinson says he felt called to step up and provide a familiar face for Manitoba wildfire evacuees in the midst of chaos and fear of the unknown, as local officials scramble to protect vulnerable people far from their homes.

Robinson, 28, is a full-time First Nation safety officer in Pimicikamak Cree Nation. He was already in the northern city of Thompson with his wife, two daughters and newborn son when their home community was ordered to evacuate on May 28.

"It's hard watching that, mostly when you're not there to help," he told CBC News. "I didn't want to sit around — it's boring sitting around in a hotel room."

The help was desperately needed, with hundreds of evacuees flooding into Thompson, a city with a population of more than 13,000.

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