Manitoba wildfires: Rain offers some help for crews battling deadly fires
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Rain offered some help in the battle against forest fires in eastern Manitoba on Friday, but the effort remained far from over.
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Steady rain hit areas including the Rural Municipality of Lac du Bonnet, where a fire this week destroyed 28 homes and cottages and left two people dead.
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A section of one evacuated area was reopened Thursday night to permanent residents. But Schinkel said the fire in nearby areas is still burning and there was no word on when people might get back in.
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Word emerged Friday of rescues that involved provincial staff and a private helicopter operator on Tuesday night as the fire raged.
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Six people were extracted from an area near Lac du Bonnet, as were a family of four from Garner Lake and three stranded boaters from Shoe Lake, the province said. The latter two locations are in Nopiming Provincial Park, northeast of Lac du Bonnet.
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'With fire conditions rapidly deteriorating, provincial staff from the Manitoba Wildfire Service and Conservation Officer Service, with the help of a local helicopter pilot, were able to make a series of dramatic rescues in very dangerous conditions,' a government statement said.
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The fire near Lac du Bonnet claimed the lives of a man and his wife, identified as Richard and Sue Nowell, who were stranded by the flames.
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It also said he helped last year with evacuations and protecting properties during the Cranberry Portage fire in northern Manitoba, 'saving countless cottages and lives.'
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An online fundraising effort for Ryland Nowell and his brother, as they both lived with their parents, had garnered more than $133,000 by Friday afternoon.
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Condolences have poured in for the family.
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'My favourite memories with Sue are all around music, concerts and friends,' said high school friend Lori Sparacio.
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'She touched so many people and was the kindest and the most loving person. She loved her family beyond belief.'
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