There are currently 71 active wildfires across the province, with a total of 233 wildfires to date. Lightning and human caused fires continue to persist with hot and dry conditions although there could be some scattered and isolated showers across Manitoba over the next few days.
A large wildfire (NO097) south of the First Nation community of Oxford House has prompted evacuation of the community. The Manitoba Wildfire Service (MWS), with the assistance of the Office of the Fire Commissioner and several local fire departments, established value protection resources including sprinklers in the community. Additional resources are being deployed today to assist with protection and response activities.
MWS continues to monitor fires in the far north and in areas that do not pose immediate 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 the areas.
Manitoba Wildfire Service continues to respond to the following fires of note in the north region:
- Fire NO097, approximately 10 kilometres (km) south of Oxford House First Nation, with the south wind expected today the fire could push closer to the community. The fire size is approximately 5,747 hectares (ha) in size.
- Fire NO113, 11 km northeast of Manto Sipi Cree Nation is estimated at approximately 1,500 ha. Suppression has been concentrated on the south side of the fire to limit its spread towards the community.
- Fire NO071, four km east of Marcel Colomb First Nation remains within established control lines and currently about 3,020 ha in size. The general area is smoky, but firefighting crews continue to make good progress.
- Fire NO063, eight km northeast of Marcel Colomb First Nation, is approximately 1,851 ha. and responding well to suppression activities.
- Fire NO038, 60 km northeast of Thompson and 55 km west of Split Lake, is estimated at 18,000 ha in size. The fire continues to be assessed for targeted response options 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 over 35,000 ha. Some residents of God’s Lake First Nation, Manto Sipi Cree Nation, Wasagamack First Nation, Red Sucker Lake First Nation and St. Theresa Point 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 and Red Sucker Lake areas. Value protection equipment has been set-up on infrastructure at risk within the vicinity of this fire.
In the west region:
- Fire WE032, located 23 km east of Pukatawagan is approximately 21,900 ha. Smoke may be an issue in the community of Pukatawagan depending on wind direction.
Smoke from the wildfires continues to impact communities in the area of these fires and across much of the province. 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.