Smoke and how it affects crops

While wildfire smoke expected to blanket parts of Manitoba in haze and poor air quality on Saturday, the agricultural impact is only one part of a much more serious situation, says Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) president Jill Verwey.

Verwey, who farms near Portage la Prairie, acknowledges smoke-filled skies can sometimes reduce crop stress by lowering sunlight intensity and cooling temperatures during sensitive growth periods. But she says that benefit comes with a heavy cost.

Manitoba says close to 13,000 out in renewed round of wildfire evacuations

Close to 13,000 people in Manitoba were out of their homes Thursday due to wildfires, but hundreds were finding space in hotels rather than in congregate shelters, the province said.

Since Monday, officials said they've found spots for 705 more people in hotels, while others are staying with family and friends or in one of four shelters in Winnipeg.

As of Wednesday night, there were about 7,000 evacuees in hotel rooms and about 1,200 in shelters, a government spokesperson said. 

Ten hotels were added to a list of 58 across the province already offering rooms.

Dry weather is raising the fire danger level in Manitoba

A spokesperson for Manitoba Wildfire Service (MWS) says fire activity is picking up again in our province, as a result of dry weather the last couple of days.

Kristin Hayward is Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for MWS. She says 118 active fires are burning in Manitoba. So far this year, there have been 313 fires, well ahead of the 20-year average of 229 by July 17th.

Days of wet weather may end in some parts of Manitoba fighting fires

Thousands of Manitobans remain out of their home communities due to wildfires.

With recent cooler weather — accompanied by rain in some areas — there was no word of additional evacuations as of Tuesday afternoon.

But the 13,000 residents of Thompson were still being told to be ready to evacuate if necessary as the forecast called for drier weather and strong winds.

The Canadian Red Cross was already housing evacuees in Winnipeg.

Manitoba fire situation largely unchanged from Monday

The Manitoba Wildfire Service (MWS) says the province remains at a moderate to high fire danger level, with small pockets of reduced fire danger observed. The fires of note status and sizes remain unchanged from Monday's reporting.

MWS has cancelled all burn permits for the Burn Permit Area, with no new burn permits issued at this time. Additionally, travel permits are required within active fire boundaries. 

Manitoba Lung Association warns smoky days is like smoking cigarettes

Wildfire smoke posed a very high health risk to residents of Steinbach on Tuesday morning.

That is according to the Air Quality Health Index or AQHI. According to the Manitoba Lung Association, the AQHI is based on the combined levels of three different air pollutants. Those three are ground-level ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and fine particulate matter. 

Garden Hill vice chief calls for national prayer as wildfire threat grows

As wildfires continue to burn near remote northern communities in Manitoba, a First Nations leader is asking for prayers.

Craig Munroe, vice chief of Garden Hill First Nation, posted an urgent request on social media late Monday evening, calling on people across Canada and the United States to join him in praying for protection over his community.

More help coming to battle Manitoba's worst wildfire season in 30 years

The Manitoba Wildfire Service (MWS) says our province remains at a moderate to high fire danger level. Human activity, including arson, is contributing significantly to current wildfire conditions. As a result, critical firefighting resources are being diverted to respond to deliberately set fires, often in or near communities.

Carney to meet with Incident Response Group to discuss the wildfire situation

Prime Minister Mark Carney is scheduled to convene the Incident Response Group in Ottawa today to discuss the ongoing wildfire situation across the country.

Carney also convened the group of ministers and senior officials a little over a month ago in response to an earlier wave of wildfires, which peaked in May and June, then receded, and have now flared up again.

More than 6,000 people are currently out of their homes in Manitoba, and the communities of Lynn Lake and Snow Lake ordered residents to flee for the second time in just weeks.