Residents in southeastern Manitoba are now dealing with multiple evacuation orders as a wildfire continues to spread through the Rural Municipality of Piney. The fire, identified as EA057, has already forced evacuations in Carrick, St. Labre, Florze, Badger, and, as of Wednesday evening, Woodridge.
Gordon Daigneault, who lives in the St. Labre area, says the fire came dangerously close to his property. "I could see it from my house. I can see the planes pretty much from my house too. So that was pretty scary," he says.
Daigneault lives on Whitemouth Lake Road, just a couple of kilometres from St. Labre, and says he first learned about the fire from other people. "I just went on my quad with my brother, and we went to St. Labre to see the intersection where everybody was waiting for the fire."
Since Tuesday, Daigneault says he has been on high alert, monitoring the fire's path and notifying friends and family members who own cabins in the area. "A lot of people have cabins here and they live in Winnipeg or Steinbach, so they need the heads up of what was happening," he explains.
When the evacuation order was issued for St. Labre on Tuesday, Daigneault opted to stay at his property despite the risks. "I had my brother come here, help me load up his vehicle full of some valuables and stuff," he says. "I didn’t evacuate really. I just moved some stuff to my brother’s place and came back."
While Daigneault remains on his property, he admits it has been a stressful experience. "Even coming back, you can see the smoke all over the place, you see the flames on the top of the trees in the distance. So it was pretty nerve-wracking for a while there," he says.
Meanwhile, the Woodridge Community Centre, which had been serving as the reception site for evacuees, is now closed. The evacuation site has been moved to the Piney Community Centre at 5017 Highway 89 in Piney.
Daigneault is grateful to the firefighters working to contain the blaze.
-With files from Kenton Dyck.
@steinbach_online A devastating wildfire continues to spread through the Rural Municipality of Piney, forcing many communities to evacuate. Video credit: Gordon Daigneault
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