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National Observer
24-07-2025
- Climate
- National Observer
One home destroyed after wildfire enters town in northern Manitoba
Ash and embers rained down on the northwestern Manitoba town of Leaf Rapids when an out-of-control wildfire entered the community Wednesday evening, resulting in damage to one home and several abandoned buildings. Firefighters have been in the community for weeks establishing fire guards, managing vegetation and setting up value protection on critical infrastructure, but "intense fire behaviour" that ramped up over the course of a few hours prompted crews to temporarily leave the town. "Crews talked about how the fire was essentially creating its own weather and there was all this additional wind and heat. The movement of the fire was just really, really rapid," said Kristin Hayward, with the province's wildfire service. "That's one of the factors that led to folks feeling a bit unsafe remaining in community and retreating for a short period of time." The province's latest fire information from Wednesday shows the blaze is 25 square kilometres in size. Officials said the blaze jumped the Churchill River and entered the community through its industrial area on Wednesday night. Crews attempted to control the fire with aerial resources, including heavy helicopters and water bombers, but were hampered visually by thick smoke. Officials said the blaze jumped the Churchill River and entered the community through its industrial area on Wednesday night. "We had an aircraft in the air over the fire bucketing throughout the day and they made the decision to call water bombers to try to assist with cooling the fire down a bit. But it escalated so quickly within an hour or two," said Hayward. "There was just nothing that really could be done to reduce that fire activity. The smoke was very, very thick as well over the fire and so any aircraft would have been pretty ineffective because they can't see what's below them and what they're dropping on." Along with the one home, officials said five to seven structures were affected as well as some vehicles burned. In a Facebook post Thursday morning, the town said the owner of the home has been contacted. "The fire burnt forested area mainly in the north portion of town, with the south half seeing very little impact. Crews are in town and have been for some time, putting out hot spots to prevent further damage," the post read. It also said some hydro poles leading into the town have burned, which could lead to power loss. Officials later said power remained intact in the community as of the afternoon. Some confusion came when previous posts from the town indicated fire crews were told to evacuate, but did not elaborate that they eventually returned. The town, which is overseen by a provincially appointed town administration, later clarified that fire crews returned. The province said it is working with the town administration to make sure that residents, who were forced to leave Leaf Rapids more than two weeks ago, have accurate and timely information. The government is looking to arrange town halls in the future for residents to get information. Firefighters are also working to tackle a blaze near the northern town of Snow Lake, which is also evacuated. Encroaching flames forced the evacuation of Hudbay's Lalor Mine on Wednesday evening. "The fire did make a direct hit on that mine but the mine had been value protected so it had sprinklers running," said Hayward. "The sprinkler setup worked and with the engine support from firefighters, they were able to keep damage to a minimal level." Officials said fire activity near Tataskweyak Cree Nation is looking good and the community can look at bringing back residents, who have been displaced for more than a month. Meanwhile, help from the federal government is on the way to fight fires in neighbouring Saskatchewan. Marlo Pritchard with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency told a virtual news conference on Thursday that 300 firefighters with the Canadian Armed Forces are expected to start fighting the blazes Saturday. The agency had previously refused asking for federal aid, saying Ottawa did not have what Saskatchewan needed. Pritchard said the fires are less volatile than they were a month ago, and it's now safe for crews with lower levels of training to do mop-up work. The agency also needs the military to replace firefighters who need a break, he added. "(Seven weeks ago) was not the right time. It is now," he said. Saskatchewan reported 55 active wildfires, including five uncontained. About 3,000 people have been forced out of their homes due to the fires. -- with files from Jeremy Simes in Regina.
CTV News
21-07-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Hot weather, low precipitation fuelling fire conditions in Manitoba
A helicopter crew works on a wildfire in northern Manitoba during a helicopter tour in the surrounding area of Flin Flon, Man. on Thursday, June 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mike Deal-Pool The warm, dry weather in Manitoba over the weekend fuelled wildfire activity throughout the province. 'We saw increased fire behaviour on nearly all fires,' said Kristin Hayward, assistant deputy minister with Manitoba Wildfire Service during a news conference on Monday. Hayward noted the province is keeping an eye on fires near Laurie River Generating Station, Kettle Rapids Dam, Garden Hill, Leaf Rapids and Snow Lake. 'So far, only minor amounts of precipitation have fallen in fire areas,' Hayward said. 'We're seeing generally less than one millimetre as of this morning.' There are 120 active wildfires burning in Manitoba, down two from Friday's bulletin. There have been 331 fires to date in the province, well above the 20-year average of 243. Hayward noted the smoky conditions in Manitoba, which have prompted air quality statements and warnings, prevented water bombers and aerial fire suppression efforts. 'They need good visibility to safely conduct their operations,' she said. Despite this, she said crews made 'good progress' on fires near Thompson, Cross Lake, Split Lake and Flin Flon. Hayward said the province is 'pretty confident' about the fire control efforts near Thompson. 'It has been tested a number of times, and it has held,' she said. Over 13,000 people have been evacuated due to the wildfires, according to Christine Stevens, assistant deputy minister with the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization. 'As of this morning, we currently occupy close to 2,500 hotel rooms, which is up by about 145 hotel rooms since yesterday,' Stevens said. There are 840 congregate shelter beds being utilized by evacuees in Manitoba, Stevens said.
CTV News
21-07-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Manitoba officials to give wildfire update as smoke blankets province
A helicopter crew works on a wildfire in northern Manitoba during a helicopter tour in the surrounding area of Flin Flon, Man. on Thursday, June 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mike Deal-Pool Officials with the Manitoba government will give an update on Manitoba's current wildfire situation on Monday. Kristin Hayward, assistant deputy minister with Manitoba Wildfire Service, and Christine Stevens, assistant deputy minister with the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization, will speak at the Manitoba legislative building. CTV News will live-stream the event. According to Friday's wildfire bulletin, there are 122 active wildfires burning in Manitoba, and 317 so far in 2025. Fire danger is at a high to very high level across much of Manitoba. This is a developing story.
Global News
21-07-2025
- Climate
- Global News
Manitoba to provide wildfire update Monday afternoon
See more sharing options Send this page to someone via email Share this item on Twitter Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on Facebook The Manitoba government is set to provide the latest update on the province's wildfire situation Monday afternoon. Kristin Hayward, assistant deputy minister, Conservation Officer Service and Manitoba Wildfire Service, will be joined by Christine Stevens, assistant deputy minister, Manitoba Emergency Management Organization. They'll speak to media at 12:45 p.m. from the Manitoba legislature. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy During an update last Thursday, the province said there were 118 wildfires burning across Manitoba. Global News will stream the press conference live on this page. Story continues below advertisement
Winnipeg Free Press
17-07-2025
- Climate
- Winnipeg Free Press
Wildfire risk increases, more evacuations scheduled
A handful of people will be evacuated from Stevenson Island on Thursday and Friday because of wildfires. Manitoba government officials said at a news conference Thursday afternoon that there are about 15 people remaining in the Island Lake community, and about nine or 10 will be flown out in two groups. The others will remain in place to maintain operations there, including an air strip used in fighting wildfires. The wildfire risk across the province is considered high to very high. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES The province says nearly 13,000 Manitoba residents are currently evacuated from nine communities because of wildfires. 'After some precipitation in a few areas over the last few days, we're definitely starting to see fire activity start to pick up as things dry out,' Kristin Hayward, assistant deputy minister of the Manitoba Wildfire Service, said. 'There's also an… extreme fire danger in the northeast area of the province.' The province says nearly 13,000 Manitoba residents are currently evacuated from nine communities because of wildfires. Evacuees are staying with friends and families, at hotels, and at evacuation centres. Four such centres are open in Winnipeg, with 6,100 beds available. Christine Stevens, assistant deputy minister of the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization, said there have been some questions about why some evacuees are placed in hotels and others are sent to congregate shelters. She said there are a number of factors, including long-term hotel availability. 'We don't want evacuees to have to move and relocate from hotel to hotel. We want them to settle in,' she said. Wednesdays Sent weekly from the heart of Turtle Island, an exploration of Indigenous voices, perspectives and experiences. More than 700 evacuees have been moved into hotels since Monday, and the number of hotels used has increased from 58 to 68 since then. 'Every single day, we're working to bring more hotels online that are a good fit for the needs of the community members that have been evacuated,' Stevens said. There were 118 active wildfires in Manitoba as of Wednesday and 313 so far this year. The 20-year average for this date is 229. Nearly 300 people from outside Manitoba are helping with the wildfires here. More than two-thirds of them are from Mexico. fpcity@
