Manitoba remains under state of emergency as wildfires continue to burn

The Manitoba government says there are currently 27 wildfires burning across the province.

At a news conference Thursday afternoon from the provincial legislative building, Kristin Hayward, assistant deputy minister for the Manitoba Wildfire Service, said the province remains in a state of emergency as firefighting efforts continue.

“The largest fire in Manitoba right now is in the vicinity of Flin Flon and Sherridon,” Hayward said.

“This fire came from Saskatchewan and is over 307,000 hectares on the Manitoba side. This was previously reported as two separate fires… these fires have now merged into one.”

Hayward said there has been some good news on the firefighting front, however —  the weather over the last few days has improved their ability to make good progress on the fires. She said that trend is expected to continue.

Natural Resources and Indigenous Futures Minister Ian Bushie said it’s an all-hands-on-deck situation, and that with the weekend approaching, fires continue to burn.

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“Manitoba has deployed more than 650 people to support the firefighting efforts, with a little more than 175 firefighters from out of province, including some from the U.S. who arrived today,” Bushie said.

“We’ve deployed more than 57 aircraft and more than 80 (pieces of) firefighting equipment to communities that need it. We continue to talk with local leadership.”

The province announced support for those who have been evacuated or are currently in a wildfire zone, in the form of the Manitoba Ready Portal, which shows the status of current wildfires, as well as providing information on where to take shelter and more.

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