mbwildfires2025

The Manitoba government has officially lifted the province-wide state of emergency declared in response to this spring’s wildfire crisis, citing improved conditions and the work of front-line responders.

Premier Wab Kinew and Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor, Minister responsible for the Emergency Management Organization, announced today, noting that while the overall risk has eased, some local evacuations remain in effect.

Some wildfire evacuees staying at a shelter in northern Manitoba may be moved elsewhere as more communities return home and the government closes temporary evacuation centres.

Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor said roughly 114 people have been staying at the shelter in Thompson for the past three weeks due to a shortage of hotel spaces.

"Folks have been there a really long time, and that was never the intention," Naylor told a wildfire briefing Thursday.

Manitoba remains under a state of emergency. However, travel and fire restrictions were eased in our province this morning.

Kristin Hayward is Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for the Manitoba Wildfire Service (MWS). She says Manitoba is at a moderate to high overall fire danger today. Hayward says there are sections of high fire danger across some of the forested areas. She adds a few pockets have low to moderate fire danger where precipitation has brought moisture levels up. 

Manitoba Wildfire Service (MWS) is easing some fire and travel restrictions beginning Thursday morning.

According to our province, recent rainfall and a full green-up have helped reduce the fire risk in some parts of Manitoba. Other areas remain at high risk, with significant fire suppression operations continuing and restrictions still in place.

Effective Thursday at 8 am, areas 1 to 5 and areas 8 to 22 will be at Level 2 (area 1 includes everything from Provincial Road 302 to the Ontario border and south of the Trans Canada Highway). This means: 

Manitoba Wildfire Service (MWS) is easing some fire and travel restrictions beginning Thursday morning.

According to our province, recent rainfall and a full green-up have helped reduce the fire risk in some parts of Manitoba. Other areas remain at high risk, with significant fire suppression operations continuing and restrictions still in place.

Effective Thursday at 8 am, areas 1 to 5 and areas 8 to 22 will be at Level 2 (area 1 includes everything from Provincial Road 302 to the Ontario border and south of the Trans Canada Highway). This means: 

As wildfires forced residents of Cross Lake to evacuate earlier this month, RCMP officers and animal rescue teams stepped in to ensure the community’s pets weren’t left behind.

With approval from Cross Lake Chief David Monais and Health Director Helga Hamilton, Manitoba Underdogs Rescue volunteers, with help from Cross Lake RCMP, brought vulnerable dogs to Winnipeg for care.

"These dogs would not have survived the evacuation period," Manitoba RCMP said in a post on Facebook. 

It is another sign that the wildfire situation is slowly improving in our province.

Wildfire evacuees continued to make their way home in some Manitoba communities Tuesday, but there were hurdles.

Tataskweyak Cree Nation lifted its evacuation order Monday evening, then told the community's 2,400 residents Tuesday morning the return was being delayed due to problems with the water system.

"Water tests came back (with) high aluminum. The pipes and reservoir will need to be cleaned and samples taken after the cleaning," said a message posted on the chief and council's Facebook page.

Parker Ledoux never imagined spending the last month of her Grade 12 school year cooped up in a Winnipeg hotel room far from her home.

But when an out-of-control wildfire encroached on Creighton, Sask., at the end of last month and forced its some 1,200 people to flee, that's exactly what happened.

With graduation celebrations supposed to take place next week and community members still displaced, Ledoux is not sure what the quintessential teenage experience will look like for her and her classmates.

Rain and cooler temperatures brought relief to fire-ravaged Manitoba and Saskatchewan Monday, allowing fire bans to be reduced and more evacuees to go home.

The weather helped fire crews get an upper hand in parts of northern Manitoba to clear the way for some of the 21,000 or more evacuees to start returning home.

David Monias, chief of Pimicikamak Cree Nation, reposted video of heavy rainfall on social media along with video of small planes leaving Winnipeg with evacuees who were forced out almost three weeks earlier.