The Rural Municipality (RM) of Taché has implemented its most severe fire restrictions due to hot and dry weather conditions in the area.
Fire Chief Allan Rau with the RM's fire department says this means no fires are allowed at any time. Gas barbeque usage is still permitted.
"We have not gotten, as we all know, any precipitation of any substantial (amount) over the last week, week and a half. And the area, with this wind, is drying out very, very quickly—what isn't already dry," he says.
"When you just look at our fields and they haven't been sown yet, and the crops haven't grown, and we see the dust flying, we know how dusty and dry it is."
Rau says given the conditions, the situation is critical, and it's imperative restrictions are followed closely.
"Any fire could be caused by a human just by the flicking of a cigarette out of their car window when they're driving," he says.
Rau is also the municipal emergency coordinator for the RM, and says he gets daily emails from Manitoba's Emergency Management Organization (EMO) about the probability of various fires, like wildland fires.
He says they've identified human activity as the biggest concern for starting "the next big fire."
"It's not going to be lightning or anything like that," he says.
While his crews haven't been too busy, he knows the potential for chaos is high if a blaze—or multiple— began.
"With the size of our RM, and the type of geography that it has, we could go a number of spots at the same time. But we only have so many individuals available and so many trucks available, so then we rely on our neighbours to give us a hand and they could be busy already," Rau says.
It also quickly drains what resources are available to the RM.
"When we are busy, it is very, very tough for our fire department members," the fire chief says, noting they all have jobs outside of firefighting and cannot always be available for daytime calls.
Being on the run all the time is also depleting.
"They just get very, very tired when we're chasing all over the place, and we're going after fires," Rau says. "Wildland firefighting is extremely taxing, and it it takes a lot of energy and physical resources to make a concerted effort on a wildland fire."
He says the RM is taking the situation day by day, and monitoring it closely.
On May 14, he says they are doing a major re-evaluation of the ban, as that's when some models show there could be some rain.
He urges residents to adhere to restrictions and not burn, saying it's in the interest of life and property.
"There will always be another day," Rau says.
Many municipalities in the southeast have proactively implemented burning restrictions this spring. They include:
- RM of La Broquerie, which has implemented a total fire ban.
- RM of Ste. Anne, which has implemented a level three fire ban, meaning only enclosed fires with a cover are permitted.
- RM of Taché, which has implemented a total fire ban.
- RM of De Salaberry, which has implemented a level two fire ban. This allows the use of barbeques and gas fire tables, bonfires in approved receptacles between certain hours, and no open-air fires.
- RM of Stuartburn, which has implemented a level two fire ban, meaning fires are only allowed in approved fire pits, burn containers, and solid fuel burning appliances.
- RM of Piney, which has implemented a level one fire ban, meaning all fires are prohibited between certain hours, and fires outside those hours must be in an approved campfire pit.
- RM of Springfield, which has implemented a total fire ban.
An interactive map of municipalities implementing fire bans in the province, including details on what their restrictions include, can be found at manitoba.ca/wildfire.
