Manitoba officials are urging residents of the affected areas to heed wildfire evacuation orders.
Premier Wab Kinew said Thursday that there are over 1,000 registered evacuees at this point — a number which is likely much higher due to people who have yet to register.
The ongoing crisis involves 21 actively burning fires across the province, including a blaze in the RM of Lac du Bonnet which caused the death of two people.
Kinew said flags are at half-mast at the Manitoba legislature.
“I offer sincere condolences to the family, friends and community members who lost two of our own,” the premier said.
Get breaking National news
“The news of this loss of life changes what was an emergency into a tragedy.”
Some progress has been made in containing the Lac du Bonnet fire, provincial officials said, which was still considered out-of-control but hasn’t been as intense.
Other areas affected include Bird River near Nopiming Provincial Park, the RM of Piney, the region near The Pas, and a fire along the Manitoba/Ontario border that threatens the Whiteshell — where the province is declaring a state of emergency.
Kristin Hayward, assistant deputy minister with the Manitoba Wildfire Service, said the fire near Nopiming remains a concern, as an area approximately twice the size of the city of Winnipeg continues to burn.
“It remained very intense throughout yesterday,” Hayward said.
“Thick smoke was really hampering our efforts to get on top of the fire with air support, so we shifted our focus to value protection efforts for the properties where it was safe for us to get in and do that work.”
Comments