mbwildfires2025

One Lac du Bonnet woman is on a mission to express her sincere gratitude to those fighting wildfires in Manitoba—and those supporting them—by handing out Tim Hortons gift cards.

Busses were seen outside of CanadInns Portage around 4PM this afternoon.

Some evacuees appeared to be waiting on board, with more waiting outside the front entrance of the hotel.

Manitoba remains in a provincewide state of emergency, due to rapidly spreading wildfires and extreme fire conditions. 

The Manitoba Wildfire Service (MWS) reports the majority of Manitoba is under extreme fire danger today with small pockets of high fire danger. Human activity continues to significantly contribute to Manitoba's current wildfire situation. Today's precipitation, while welcome, is not enough to contribute towards wildfire suppression efforts and comes with the risk of lightning starts from thunderstorms.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said Monday hotels in Winnipeg are opening up to thousands of evacuees who have fled their homes due to raging wildfires.

Speaking ahead of the premiers' conference in Saskatoon, Kinew said some 1,000 hotel rooms are being made available for evacuees in the province's capital city.

"Nobody wants to sleep on a cot for more than a day or two, even in an emergency," Kinew said.

"We're connecting folks who need those enhanced accessibility supports first and then broadening it out to everybody else who needs help, too."

As northern wildfire evacuees continue to settle in Portage la Prairie, Mayor Sharilyn Knox is calling on residents to help meet some immediate, critical needs. A new donation drive is now underway at City Hall to collect essential items for families who were forced to leave their homes behind.

In a public notice issued this afternoon, Mayor Knox outlined a list of urgently needed supplies. All donations must be new, unopened, and have original tags to ensure the health and safety of the recipients.

Urgently needed items include:

Fires near Bird River and Ingolf, Ontario continue to burn out of control.

The Manitoba Wildfire Service (MWS) says the Bird River fire is approximately 188,441 hectares in size. Provincial Road (PR) 315 is closed at Hill Road in the Bird River area, with no travel beyond that point to Nopiming Provincial Park and onward up to PR 314 and Bissett. Mandatory evacuation is now in place for Bissett. The evacuation order for the remainder of the Rural Municipality of Alexander was lifted at 10 am Sunday and residents have returned to their homes. 

As more Manitobans flee their homes due to out-of-control wildfires, the Winnipeg Humane Society is stepping up to provide temporary shelter for animals with no place to go.

A new temporary shelter will be set up in the St. Norbert Community Centre and will be able to house and provide vet care to about 60 animals. 

As emergency officials work to find hotel space for wildfire evacuees on the Prairies, a Manitoba Indigenous group says it has welcomed residents from the Pimicikamak Cree Nation at a hotel in Niagara Falls, Ont.

The organization, which represents Indigenous peoples in Manitoba, said in a social media post that the first of the evacuees from Pimicikamak were greeted Sunday at the airport in Hamilton with snacks and drinks before being loaded onto a bus for the last portion of their trip.

Fire crews in northern Manitoba have so far been able to contain an encroaching wildfire that forced thousands from their homes, while more residents in Saskatchewan have been told to leave due to a fast-moving blaze. 

The Saskatchewan government has issued an evacuation alert for the dozens of residents that live in the small northern hamlet of Timber Bay.

Residents have been asked to make their way to a hotel in Regina. 

Smoke has filled the air this week in the wake of the Manitoba wildfires.

The Winkler Fire Department (WFD) has confirmed its involvement in helping fight the ongoing 2025 provincial wildfires, answering the call to assist fellow Manitobans through a well-coordinated mutual aid system.