The impact of wildfires in northern Manitoba continues to be felt, with thousands of evacuees still waiting to return home as major hydro repair efforts are underway.
Manitoba Hydro said Friday that around 1,300 customers in five communities are currently without power due to damage caused by the fires, with more than 1,200 hydro poles in need of repair or replacement.
While the Crown corporation says more than 500 damaged poles have already been replaced or repaired since the wildfire season started, there’s a lot more work to do, especially as other equipment, like transformers and power lines, has also been affected in many cases.
Hydro’s Peter Chura told Global Winnipeg that in many cases, even getting to the impacted sites to complete repairs can be a challenge.
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“Once we get to the point of being able to get into these areas to repair damage, they’re very remote areas — in some cases with very limited road access, and in some cases, even in the best of conditions, we would still need helicopters to move crews and equipment up there.
“It’s a very challenging time and we definitely feel for all the people who are out of their homes.”
There’s currently no estimate for how long it will take to get all of the affected areas up and running to pre-wildfire levels.
Chura said this summer has been the worst wildfire season Manitoba Hydro has dealt with in decades.
“Fires are still burning and there’s damage in areas that have been inaccessible to us for safety reasons,” he said.
“There’s damages in areas we’re just getting a look at now, even by air.”
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