UPDATE: 1:25 p.m.
According to the Rural Municipality of Piney, Manitoba Wildfire Service has updated the size of the wildfire in the area to 8904.7 hectares.
This is an increase of more than 1,000 hectares from an update on Thursday, when the blaze covered 7886 hectares of land.
Original story posted at 11:25 a.m.
Hope is in the air, in the form of rain, for the Rural Municipality (RM) of Piney as it continues to deal with a wildfire.
Reeve of the area, Wayne Anderson, says about 15mm of precipitation has been received in Woodridge within the last day.
"It was able to help with holding the line at our last defensive line. It's knocked the fire down to much cooler than it was," he says.
Crews are going out to strengthen the lines, he says, and take advantage of the cooler, wetter, weather.
According to the RM, the fire is still classified as 'Out of Control,' and the evacuation order will not be lifted until the status of the fire is moved to 'Being Held.'
The municipality's State of Local Emergency Order will also remain in effect until conditions warrant lifting it.
Anderson says residents could be welcomed back to the community in coming days, depending on the work that's done and the safety of the area.
He says teams are feeling much more positive, after what was looking like a close call.
"It's really good news. We didn't lose Woodridge or Badger, and it's a much better outlook," the reeve says, encouraging residents to be patient while more information is gathered.
Another update is expected Friday night after 6 p.m.
In the meantime, the RM of Piney continues work with the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization, Manitoba Wildfire Service, and the Office of the Fire Commissioner to coordinate firefighting efforts.