[
People from more than a dozen Manitoba communities forced out by wildfires this spring have either returned or will start going home in the days ahead, but officials warn that doesn’t mean fires in the province are no longer a threat.
While some areas got rain over the weekend that allowed fire crews to make progress on a number of blazes, the amounts of precipitation varied — and the province is expecting to see fires actively continue to pick up in the days ahead as certain areas dry out.
“These are very large fires and they are not extinguished,” Kristin Hayward, assistant deputy minister of the Conservation Officer Service and Manitoba Wildfire Service, said at a Monday news conference alongside other officials at the Manitoba Legislative Building.
“They are not out and won’t be for some time. We are cautiously optimistic, but of course the situation can change, as weather and conditions change.”
While some have gone home, the “vast majority” of wildfire evacuees remain displaced, with about 40 still living in congregate shelter space in Winnipeg and roughly 150 in those types of accommodations in the northern city of Thompson, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor said.
Naylor said the province is still working to find hotel space for everyone.
“We don’t want people in congregate shelters,” Naylor said at the news conference. “It’s not ideal. Families need some privacy.”
As of Monday, there are 18 fires burning across Manitoba, with seven of them considered out of control, Hayward said.
The total number of fires includes a couple of new ones that started in the last 24 hours but aren’t currently of concern, Hayward said, noting a band of lightning also moved through Manitoba over the past 12 to 24 hours — leaving officials preparing for the possibility of more new starts and positioning resources accordingly.
Manitoba has recorded a total of 120 wildfires to date this year, more than the average 104 fires for this time of year, the government said in a news release.
Since May 1, the Manitoba Conservation Officer Service has issued 88 charges and 29 warnings related to wildfires, the province said.
‘People do need to remain vigilant’
The number of evacuees registered with the Canadian Red Cross in Manitoba had reached roughly 22,000 as of Monday morning, said Christine Stevens, assistant deputy minister of the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization.
There are still 24 states of local emergency in place, with 25 communities still evacuated because of either wildfire threat or smoke impacts, Stevens said at the news conference.
The communities that were allowed to start returning over the weekend included Cranberry Portage, Sherridon, Snow Lake, Herb Lake Landing, Payuk Lake and Twin Lake on Saturday, which totalled about 1,800 people, Stevens said.
Some people from Misipawistik Cree Nation and St. Theresa Point First Nation were also allowed to start returning Sunday.
On Monday, people from Grass River Provincial Park, Wasagamack and Pimicikamak Cree Nation (Cross Lake) are also expected to start returning home, while people from Wekusko Falls Provincial Park and Bissett are expected to be able to start going back Tuesday, Stevens said.
However, she said the Pimicikamak area is a large community with over 7,000 people who will now be allowed to go home — meaning it could take up to a week for everyone to get back.
WATCH | Officials give update on Manitoba wildfires:
Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor, along with Kristin Hayward, assistant deputy minister of the Conservation Officer Service and Manitoba Wildfire Service, and Christine Stevens, assistant deputy minister of the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization, give an update on the wildfires burning across the province.
She said while the focus has been on returning people home when there’s a high level of confidence they won’t have to leave again soon, “I think we’re all mindful of the dynamic nature of this peril of the wildfire itself in those situations.”
“Whether it’s smoke impacts on a community or fire behaviour due to worsening weather conditions, people do need to remain vigilant and stay aware of risk around them, unfortunately.”
She added conditions are being evaluated daily to determine when other evacuated communities can return home too.
Fires burn across Manitoba
Hayward also gave updates on a number of major fires burning across Manitoba, including one in the western part of the province near Wanless, Man., that’s now been deemed under control.
But others remain out of control, including the blaze near the city of Flin Flon along the Saskatchewan border, which is now over 370,000 hectares.
Hayward said there was “minimal accumulated precipitation” in that area over the weekend, so officials are expecting fire behaviour to pick up there as early as Tuesday.
Another out-of-control fire in eastern Manitoba in the area of Nopiming Provincial Park is now over 218,000 hectares, though Hayward said crews there are making good progress.
Meanwhile, a blaze in the northwestern Lynn Lake area is now over 71,000 hectares, with another near Jenpeg and Pimicikamak Cree Nation over 64,000 hectares. A fire in the area near Split Lake and Tataskweyak Cree Nation is over 25,000 hectares, she said.
Find the latest wildfire information:
Are you an evacuee who needs assistance? Contact Manitoba 211 by calling 211 from anywhere in Manitoba or email 211mb@findhelp.ca.