The Manitoba Wildfire Service (MWS) continues to respond to 58 active wildfires across the province, with a total of 175 wildfires to date. Lightning caused fires continue to persist and crews are facing some challenging fire behaviour.
Manitoba appreciates the support from other jurisdictions during this fire season. Ontario currently has five crews (21 personnel) assisting and they will be sending another five crews (21 personnel) next week. In addition, there are two water bombers from Quebec and a bird dog aircraft from New Brunswick assisting wildfire operations at this time.
The MWS, with the assistance of the Office of the Fire Commissioner and several local fire departments, has set up value protection at Marcel Colomb First Nation. The community has been evacuated as a precaution while crews battle fire NO071.
MWS continues to monitor fires in the far north and in areas that do not pose any risk to communities or infrastructure. Visibility continues to be reduced while travelling along Provincial Road (PR) 391 and possibly PR 280 because of wildfires in those areas.
Manitoba Wildfire Service continues to respond to the following fires of note:
- Fire NO071, four kilometres (km) east of Marcel Colomb First Nation and 33 km east of Lynn Lake, is approximately 1,458 hectares (ha). Value protection has been set up on 30 structures in and around the community.
- Fire NO063, eight km northeast of Marcel Colomb First Nation, is approximately 475 ha. The fire spread has been towards the north and expected to continue away from the community based on forecasted wind direction.
- Fire NO038, 60 km northeast of Thompson and 55 km west of Split Lake, is approximately 10,794 ha. Resources are assigned as required.
- Fire NO055, 35 km north of Garden Hill, 22 km south of God’s Lake Narrows and 40 km west of Red Sucker Lake, is currently 24,320 ha. Some residents of God’s Lake First Nation, Manto Sipi Cree Nation, Wasagamack First Nation, and Red Sucker Lake First Nation have been evacuated due to smoke in the area. MWS continues to focus on protecting Manitoba Hydro infrastructure and the Bell communication tower which services the Island Lake area. Value protection has been set up on values at risk within the vicinity of this fire.
- Fire NO082, 12 km north of Laurier River dam is approximately five ha. Resources are assigned to protect Manitoba Hydro infrastructure in the area.
- In the western region, fire WE032, located 23 km east of Pukatawagan is approximately 3,789 ha. Water bombers and ground crews continue to suppress the fire in challenging and extreme fire behaviour. Smoke may be an issue in the community of Pukatawagan depending on wind direction.
Smoke from the wildfires continues to impact communities in the areas of these fires. Area residents are advised to take precautions to protect against harmful smoke inhalation including limiting outdoor activity, staying indoors with windows and doors closed, setting air conditioning units in homes and vehicles to recirculate to avoid drawing smoke indoors and drinking plenty of water.
Provincial burning permits are required for outdoor fires set within the burn permit area from April 1 to Nov. 15 annually. Permits can be acquired at provincial district offices. Provincial burn permits issued under the Wildfires Act may be cancelled or restricted at short notice if fire danger conditions require. The province will not issue burning permits for areas where municipalities have already implemented burning restrictions. To check for municipal burning restrictions, visit: https://gov.mb.ca/wildfire/burn_conditions.html.
For more information on burn permits, contact a local municipality or the local Manitoba Economic Development, Investment, Trade and Natural Resources office. Burn permit holders are reminded to check weather conditions, have adequate suppression equipment, and ensure proper fuel breaks are in place before burning. Never leave an outdoor fire unattended, always extinguish it before leaving and exercise caution when in or near forested areas.
Manitobans can play a critical role in mitigating wildfire risks around their home and properties by undertaking FireSmart activities. For more information, visit https://firesmartcanada.ca/.
For ongoing updates on wildfires and burn permits in Manitoba, follow the Manitoba government’s X (formerly known as Twitter) account at https://twitter.com/mbgov. Further details, updates, restrictions, and other important wildfire information is available at https://gov.mb.ca/wildfire/. To report a wildfire, call 911 or the TIP line (toll-free) at 1-800-782-0076.