Latest News

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Smoke forces 44 residents to flee north

Dry conditions aggravate threat of forest fires

By: Lindsey Wiebe

Posted: 07/26/2010 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

If only soggy southern Manitoba could send some of its extra puddles up to the parched north.

Dryer-than-normal conditions have led to a spike in forest fires in northern Manitoba, where fire crews are crossing their fingers for the rainy weather that has plagued farmers farther south and flooded out residents of the Peguis First Nation.

In Northlands Dene First Nation, smoke from blazes across the border in Saskatchewan forced 44 residents, including seven children and 14 infants, to flee on Saturday.

"We do have dry conditions all across the north still," said Manitoba Conservation fire program manager Gary Friesen. "Unfortunately, it's been like that all year. We haven't had a good general rain yet."

Manitoba had 106 active fires burning as of Sunday, Friesen said. That brings the total to 478 fires this season, most of them in the north, compared to a 20-year-average of 376 fires by this time of year.

"We're about a good 100 over average. That's fairly indicative of what's happened up north," Friesen said.

Storms are brewing north of The Pas and Island Lake, but when they show up, it doesn't always help matters. Seventeen fires started Saturday alone, all due to lightning strikes. Those fires popped up across northern Manitoba, from The Pas north to Lynn Lake and east to Gods Lake.

On Sunday, the province was awaiting the arrival of 21 firefighters from Ontario to help tackle the blazes, along with two water bombers.

Friesen said a combination of showers and the efforts of fire crews helped get a worrisome fire northeast of Gillam under control.

"Those two factors have combined to give us some good success there," he said.

Residents needed to leave the Northlands Dene First Nation, next to Lac Brochet, due to health concerns about smoke. "There's no fire threat to the community, but there's just a large amount of forest fires that are taking place in northern Saskatchewan, and of course that's where we get our weather from," said emergency management officer Daren Mini of the Manitoba Association of Native Firefighters.

Fires aren't the only concern for the association: 45 Peguis flood evacuees have yet to return to their homes, Mini said. The group is accustomed to dealing with floods in the south and fires in the north, said Mini, but normally not at the same time. "It's been an unusual year," he said.

lindsey.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 26, 2010 A4

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

WFP Hockey

Download our new hockey app for the iPhone for Winnipeg Jets updates
Editor's Bulletin

Sign up for daily bulletins from editor Margo Goodhand
Winnipeg Jets

All things NHL on our Jets landing page
Twitter

Follow our reporters and our news feeds on Twitter
News Cafe

Check out the menu, read our blog posts or get info on coming events
Facebook Fanpage

Follow our Facebook Fanpage for story links, contests and special events