Manitoba Hydro is working around the clock to restore power to eastern Manitoba, where wildfires continue to wreak havoc on the area.
Two fires remain out of control in Lac du Bonnet and Nopiming Provincial Park.
Since Wednesday, crews have been able to restore power to about 900 customers along the Lee River, while about 500 other customers in various other areas in the wildfire zone are still without power.
With some areas now safe enough for crews to get to, work has started on fixing burnt and fallen poles, power lines, transformers and other equipment.
Eastman update: last night, we restored power to about 930 customers along the Lee River. Crews are out this morning working along Wendigo Road — and we’ve got our work cut out for us. We’ll need to completely rebuild some lines. Here's a look at some of the damage. #mboutage pic.twitter.com/n01rSJ8hF7
— Manitoba Hydro (@manitobahydro) May 15, 2025
On Thursday, crews started work on Wendigo Road. However, the extent of damage is still being assessed and may require complex repairs.
As of Friday morning, the power remained out for 130 customers around Wendigo Beach, 300 customers around Bird Lake and Booster Lake and about 100 customers near Long Lake or Beresford.
Meanwhile, Manitoba Hydro stations in Pointe du Bois and Slave Falls were evacuated yesterday, as wildfires threatened to cut off road access to the facilities. The building remains in a safe state with generating units shut down and water passing through the spillways.
Manitoba Hydro continues to monitor the wildfire situation, patrolling lines by air to inspect for damage.