Red Rock Bible Camp has evacuated as a wildfire threat continues to impact several areas in Manitoba, including the Whiteshell Provincial Park. Camp Director Carla Ackermann says the evacuation began after Manitoba Parks decided to close the park on Wednesday evening.
A school group from St. Adolphe was participating in an outdoor education program at the camp when the evacuation order was issued. Ackermann says arrangements were made to have the group safely evacuated Thursday morning.
"They had buses come out (Thursday) morning and then we were able to safely have them evacuated by about 10:30," she said. "Then we got the rest of our things together and did some praying, and then we were all out by around 11:30."
Staff members took advantage of the time to pack up valuable items, memorabilia, and important pieces of camp history before leaving. Ackermann expressed gratitude for the notice given by Manitoba Parks, noting that the camp was not directly threatened by the fire at that time.
"When I came out of the cabin this morning, it was just a gorgeous day and there was hardly any smoke in the air. That changed later on. But yeah, we are very, very grateful," she said.
In a Facebook post, Red Rock Bible Camp asked for continued prayers and support, not only for their camp but for others in more immediate danger, including Bird River Bible Camp, Camp Cedarwood, and Camp Nutimik.
As for next steps, Ackermann says the camp is hopeful they can return as early as next Wednesday, depending on the fire situation and further direction from Manitoba Parks. However, scheduled programming for this weekend and early next week has been cancelled. "We are hoping to be able to continue on, but we will see how it goes," said Ackermann.
-With files from Kenton Dyck.