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CTV News
27-05-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
The highways now open in Whiteshell Provincial Park
More roads in Whiteshell Provincial Park have opened as wildfire fighting efforts continue in Manitoba's east. More highways in Whiteshell Provincial Park are reopening following wildfire-related closures earlier this month. The province announced Monday that Highway 307 from Highway 11 to Betula Lake has reopened to traffic after it was closed due to the wildfire threat. Highway 301 from Falcon Lake to the Highway 1 underpass has been opened but is restricted to local traffic. However, three highways in the park remain closed to all traffic due to the conditions, including: -Highway 44 from West Hawk Lake to Rennie; -Highway 301 from the Highway 1 underpass to PTH 44 at West Hawk; and -Highway 307 from Betula Lake to Rennie. The province announced Sunday that residents and cottagers of the Pointe Du Bois area could return as progress had been made in fighting wildfires in the area near Whiteshell and Nopiming provincial parks. 17 wildfires currently burning in Manitoba As of Monday afternoon, the province said there are 17 active wildfires across the province, up from 12 reported in Friday's bulletin. The Manitoba Wildfire Service says most of the province has a high fire danger, while the northwest corner is listed as extreme. In northern Manitoba, the province is dealing with three fires of note. One roughly five kilometres away from Cross Lake is approximately 1,625 hectares in size, out of control, and a state of local emergency has been declared. The community has started evacuations of priority one individuals. Another fire, located six kilometres from Lynn Lake, is 7,064 hectares and out of control. The province is also dealing with an out-of-control fire two kilometres from Wabowden, where a state of local emergency has been declared. The fire is 37 hectares in size. Evacuations have also taken place in Sherridon, where a fire burns 18 kilometres away from the community. The out-of-control fire is roughly 6,320 hectares. The fire near Bird River remains out of control and is 121,750 hectares. A state of local emergency in Nopiming, Wallace Lake, South Atikaki and Manigotagan River provincial parks has been extended until June 20. A full fire ban in all provincial parks in Manitoba remains in effect. -With files from CTV's Devon McKendrick
CBC
27-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Some northern Manitoba communities evacuating as wildfires have others 'preparing for the worst'
Social Sharing Some communities in northern Manitoba were evacuating on Monday, as some evacuees returned home and others braced to leave. During question period on Monday, Minister of Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures Ian Bushie said the province's wildfire status is "evolving" as fire crews continue work to extinguish more than a dozen wildfires. There are 17 active wildfires burning across Manitoba as of Monday afternoon, according to the government's most recent fire bulletin. There have been 93 fires so far this year — 24 per cent higher than last year's total by this point. Bushie said many parts of the province are on "high alert" while some evacuation orders have lifted in recent days. Residents in Lac du Bonnet, the RM of Alexander, the RM of Piney, and parts of Whiteshell Provincial Park have been allowed to return home since nearby wildfires were first detected. However, Bushie said the fires in Nopiming and Whiteshell parks are still considered out of control and reopenings depend on daily fire condition analysis. "Significant threats remain, so we would like to remind everyone that park closures and evacuations are a protective measure to safeguard lives and reduce harm when a wildfire poses a real threat," Bushie said. The community of Bissett has started planning for a possible evacuation in the coming days, due to the spread of an out-of-control wildfire in Nopiming Provincial Park. That fire has been burning for two weeks and has reached more than 121,000 hectares in size, according to Monday's provincial fire bulletin. An out-of-control wildfire southwest of Sherridon has prompted a full evacuation order in the northern Manitoba town about 640 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg. That fire has grown to more than 6,300 hectares since it was first reported last Wednesday, the most recent fire status report from the province shows. Bushie said fire guards are being put in place at Pimicikamak Cree Nation, also known as Cross Lake. The First Nation began flying high-risk residents out of the area on the weekend, over concerns wildfire smoke would affect the health of elderly community members and those with chronic health conditions. Evacuees have been sent to hotels in Winnipeg, Thompson and Brandon. Pimicikamak has not reached a full evacuation order, but incident commander Ryan Castel said community members are getting anxious and the First Nation is "bracing for the worst." "It's getting critical. Big huge walls of smoke are near our community," Castel told Margaux Watt on CBC's Up to Speed Monday afternoon. "We're holding out and praying for wind direction [changes and] rain, both of which don't seem to be coming," he said. Castel said the wildfire was more than 2,600 hectares. The province said its most up-to-date figure was 1,625 hectares in size on Monday. About 400 high-risk individuals and their family members are on the list to be evacuated, Castel said, and he fears a full evacuation is coming. About 60 kilometres northwest of Pimicikamak, Wabowden declared a local state of emergency due to a wildfire burning out of control a few kilometres away from the northern community. The most recent status report from the province shows the fire was more than 37 hectares in size as of Monday night. Wabowden Mayor Reg Mead said the state of emergency allowed local officials to pre-register the entire community of 400 people, identifying between 50 and 100 high-risk individuals who would be prioritized if an evacuation order is issued. Registrations were completed on Sunday afternoon, Mead said. Now the community is waiting to hear whether they have to leave. "Everybody seems to be coping with it and on standby," Mead said, adding residents are "working quite well together."
CTV News
26-05-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
More roads reopen in Whiteshell Provincial Park
Highlights of your CTV Morning Live news and weather for May 26. Highlights of your CTV Morning Live news and weather for May 26. More of Whiteshell reopens, MPs gather in Ottawa ahead of new session: CTV Morning Live News More roads in Whiteshell Provincial Park are reopening following wildfire-related closures earlier this month. The province announced Monday that Highway 307 from Highway 11 to Betula Lake has reopened to traffic after it was closed due to the wildfire threat. Highway 301 from Falcon Lake to the Highway 1 underpass has been opened but is restricted to local traffic. However, three highways in the park remain closed to all traffic due to the conditions, including: -Highway 44 from West Hawk Lake to Rennie; -Highway 301 from the Highway 1 underpass to PTH 44 at West Hawk; and -Highway 307 from Betula Lake to Rennie. The province announced Sunday that residents and cottagers of the Pointe Du Bois area could return as progress had been made in fighting wildfires in the area near Whiteshell and Nopiming provincial parks. -With files from CTV's Devon McKendrick
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Pointe du Bois reopens after 'more progress' controlling wildfires around Whiteshell
A section in the northwest corner of Whiteshell Provincial Park has reopened to the public after the province says there has been "more progress" in battling out-of-control wildfires. Permanent residents, cottagers, commercial operators and visitors are allowed back into Pointe du Bois as of Sunday morning, the province said in its latest fire bulletin. The area, roughly 120 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, had been under a mandatory evacuation order for almost two weeks after extreme fire conditions from out-of-control wildfires encroaching on the park forced its closure to the public. The province reopened the first pockets of the Whiteshell on Thursday, including Sylvia Lake, Eleanor Lake, Dorothy Lake, Otter Falls, Barrier Bay, Nutimik Lake and Betula Lake on the west side of the park. Those returning to the park "must be prepared to evacuate with little notice," the bulletin said. Manitoba Parks says "more progress has been made" to control the blazes, but the wildfires are still large, complex and expected to remain active. Weather forecasts are also not favourable with warm, dry conditions and no rain in the week ahead, the province said. "Many Manitobans are eager to return to the parks that remain closed, but public safety remains the top priority," the bulletin said. As of Friday, the largest fire encroaching on the park stretches over 101,000 hectares north of the Whiteshell in Nopiming Provincial Park. A wildfire is also burning at the Manitoba-Ontario border, near Ingolf, reaching a total 32,000 hectares in size, with about 1,650 hectares on the Manitoba side as of Friday. "Restrictions and closures remain in place for everyone's safety and allows fire crews and emergency responders space to do their work," the province said. The majority of the Whiteshell remains under a mandatory evacuation order. The campgrounds in the provincial park remain closed to limit overnight guests, hiking trails are closed and backcountry travel is prohibited. The province is asking for patience and cooperation as the situation continues to unfold.
CBC
24-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Habitat for endangered caribou threatened by eastern Manitoba wildfire
A wildfire around Nopiming Provincial Park has destroyed much of the habitat for a woodland caribou herd during the season in which females are giving birth. Experts are worried about the long-term effect on boreal woodland caribou, classified as threatened under Manitoba's Endangered Species Act.
