
Wildfires threaten Leaf Rapids
The closest fire, in the Turnbull Lake area, was about three kilometres southwest of the evacuated community. The blaze was about 9,150 hectares.
Government officials said at a news conference Monday afternoon that conditions near Leaf Rapids, Garden Hill First Nation, Snow Lake, the Laurie River generating station and the Kettle generating station are being closely monitored.
SHIRLEY DYSART PHOTO
A photo of the smoke from a wildfire near Leaf Rapids on July 7. Government officials said at a news conference Monday afternoon that conditions near Leaf Rapids is being closely monitored.
The Manitoba Wildfire Service reported 120 active fires Monday, including 20 that were out of control. There have been 331 wildfires so far this year. The 20-year average for this date is 243.
Officials said at the news conference that the wildfire risk remains high to very high in eastern and northern areas, with some areas of extreme danger. The risk is low in western and central Manitoba.
'We had hot, dry conditions over the weekend and saw increased fire behaviour on nearly all fires,' Kristin Hayward, assistant deputy minister of the Manitoba Wildfire Service, said at the news conference.
Hayward said progress was made fighting some of the fires this weekend despite very smoky conditions that hampered efforts to fight the blazes from the air.
The province said more than 13,000 Manitoba residents are currently evacuated because of wildfires. Nearly 2,500 Manitoba hotel rooms are being used by evacuees — an increase of 145 since Thursday. Officials said 840 shelter beds are being used.
Tuesdays
A weekly look at politics close to home and around the world.
Nearly 1.3 million hectares of land has burned as Manitoba grapples with its worst wildfire season in at least 30 years. A provincewide state of emergency — the second of the season — is in effect until Aug. 8.
fpcity@freepress.mb.ca
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CBC
23 minutes ago
- CBC
Emergency plan 'worked great,' despite performer's encounter with lightning: Folk on the Rocks
Folk on the Rocks says its emergency response plan "worked great" after a thunderstorm forced the Yellowknife music festival to shut down early last Friday – and it has followed up with a local performer who had a scary experience with lightning. "Lightning hit the tent and I got shocked pretty good," Benji Staker, who performs as Hughes, told CBC News on Saturday. The annual three-day outdoor festival kicked off Friday with its Warm the Rocks event in the beer gardens at the Folk on the Rocks site. However, after the thunderstorm started, organizers made the decision to evacuate the site at around 8:30 p.m. Straker said he and his wife and two others had sought refuge from the storm under a tent with sound equipment when it happened. He'd been leaning against a metal equipment box at the time, and said it felt like someone punched him in the head and kicked him in the butt. "I felt fine right away," he said. "I think everybody else was kind of more concerned." Straker said many people pulled him aside at the festival to ask him what happened and if he was OK. "I'm having fun with it," he said. "They're wondering why I'm not stuttering and why I don't have, like, a white stripe on my head or, like, spider veins." "It's obviously nobody's fault. Maybe ours, for getting under a metal frame tent. But whatever, it is what it is." Teresa Horosko, the festival's executive director, said in an interview Thursday that the festival has spoken with Straker about what happened. "The static charge in the air when lightning is present is intense and it is possible to feel some shocks or some effects from that static charge," she said. "We've discussed that with him and also have opened up that conversation for anybody else who has been on site who may have felt some static charge." Asked whether the festival's emergency response plan worked, given what happened, Horosko said it's something she's been asking herself too. "Did we do enough, and quickly enough? And I think, ultimately, yes." Horosko said the festival had been monitoring the storm for a while and an evacuation didn't seem necessary at first. But then the wind changed, a low pressure system moved in, and things started to move quickly. "I think back on that moment a lot. If I had done things a little bit different … would we not have had those instances? And I can't guarantee that those wouldn't have happened. Like static charge in the air is a big thing when there is an electrical storm. And I think ultimately we made the right choice when we made that choice." Horosko said staff and volunteers did an "incredible job" clearing the site, and she's thankful to the audience for paying attention and being co-operative. Though she's satisfied with how the emergency response plan worked, she does hope to make some updates to it. "It was our first time doing an evacuation because of a thunderstorm. So going to edit that a little bit and also have a more detailed re-opening plan." The festival has described shutting down early on Friday as a "devastating financial loss." Horosko said the 19+ event brings in about a third of the festival's sales – through drinks at the beer garden and merchandise. Though attendance on Saturday was "big," the cool Sunday forecast meant fewer attendees.


Global News
34 minutes ago
- Global News
Edmonton woman survives being struck by lightning
The term 'lucky to be alive' may be an overused phrase, but in this case, it's appropriate after an Edmonton woman survived being struck by lighting. It happened Thursday night in west Edmonton, as thunderstorms rolled through the region in the afternoon. Global News is not naming the 21-year-old woman because she is sedated in hospital, unable to give her consent. But her friend, Laura Penner, saw the strike happen in the west end Callingwood area. They had just parted ways and her friend was heading to a bus stop across the street around 4:10 p.m. 'The storm, the rain just started happening as she walked out and so as soon as she got across she was struck by the lightning,' Penner said. Penner was watching through her living room window and saw light surround her friend, who then fell to the ground. Story continues below advertisement 'It was within a span of about 10 seconds of her walking outside of the house. Penner and her partner were getting ready to leave the house themselves, and sprang into action. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'I got my partners to go over there help out with CPR while I called EMS,' Penner said. 4:23 Texas man struck by lightning rescued by CPR-trained bystanders A bus pulled up to the stop and those who got off also jumped into provide aid. Marty Heemeryck was one of those bus passengers. 'There was a young lady laying on the ground, her legs were black and yellow, she was flopping around, in and out, trying to breathe,' Heemeryck said. 'It was a scary moment for everybody.' Story continues below advertisement Heemeryck said he didn't know what was happening at first. 'I first saw was somebody passed out on the ground and given the circumstances of the area, I said, is Narcan needed?' she said, adding friends quickly assured him it wasn't an overdose, but a freak accident. 'I was concerned and saying prayers for her,' Heemeryck said. 'Everybody was great. I mean, they were concerned to help her, really, whether it was drugs or lightning. EMS arrived shortly after that and took the unconscious woman into the ambulance. The 21-year-old is now in a medically induced coma at the University of Alberta hospital, her friends said, recovering from burns sustained during the lightning strike. Each year on average in Canada, there are between two and three lightning-related deaths and 180 lightning-related injuries, according to Statistics Canada. People camping and hiking account for the largest percentage of those killed by lightning (22 per cent), with outdoor workers accounting for another 22 per cent fatalities. StatsCan said in the case of most fatalities and injuries, people were in open areas or taking shelter under a tree. Story continues below advertisement


Toronto Star
34 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez reach the semifinals in Washington
WASHINGTON (AP) — Emma Raducanu reached the semifinals at the D.C. Open — the biggest tournament where she's made it that far since her surprising 2021 U.S. Open title — by eliminating Maria Sakkari 6-4, 7-5 on Friday. On a muggy day with the temperature topping 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius), Raducanu took a medical timeout while reeling off the last five games of the match after trailing 5-2 in the second set.