A stray bolt of lightning could have caused disastrous consequences at a Manitoba wetland and wildlife management area over the weekend.
Oak Hammock Marsh communications director Jacques Bourgeois told 680 CJOB’s Connecting Winnipeg that the fire, which came close to consuming a new building, was spotted by birdwatchers on a trail at the sprawling marsh.
“We got lots of calls last night — there were people doing some birdwatching on the trails, and they smelled the smoke and saw large flames coming from the area around the building, so they called the fire truck,” he said.
“It was a lot closer than I thought — when I came this morning, it was about 300 metres from a building that we were just about to open in two weeks, so it would have been devastating.”
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Bourgeois said the building survived the blaze unscathed and that crews were on scene overnight battling the flames, but the situation is now under control.
For safety’s sake, however, Oak Hammock Marsh is trying to crack down on anything that could spark another fire, given current dry conditions, as the area remains at risk for wildfires.
“We have cancelled all of the programs that require fire, for example, bannock baking,” he said.
“We’re trying to encourage visitors not to smoke on the trail, because it’s like a tinderbox right now…. We want to make sure nothing happens to the marsh.”
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