Stubble fire takes out two timber bridges in Hanover; stretch of Highway 311 closed

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This article was published 11/05/2023 (1238 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Two timber bridges in the RM of Hanover were destroyed by flames that likely spread from a farmer’s crop-residue fire Wednesday night.

One of the bridges was on Highway 311, which remained closed between highways 206 and 216 on Thursday.

Hanover Fire Department Chief Paul Wiebe said the fires were challenging because the timber logs were soaked in oil and creosote.

“They burn pretty hot and they give off a lot of black smoke. They’re difficult to extinguish,” said Wiebe.

He said the department’s busy evening began when flames from a stubble fire spread to hydro poles and a shed north of New Bothwell at about 5:10 p.m.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze and left the scene.

The field fire, intended to burn off last season’s crop, continued and was under control, said Wiebe.

Farmers are allowed to burn their fields under certain conditions at this time of year. A fire ban was not in place for the area.

“There was no indication at that point that it was anything but a controlled burn,” said Wiebe.

Crews were called back to the area at about 6:20 p.m., when the fire was approaching a bridge on Road 26 East, just north of Highway 311.

The bridge was in flames when crews arrived.

While tackling that blaze, the Manning Canal bridge on Highway 311, about 30 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg, also went up in flames.

“That fire got going pretty quickly,” said Wiebe. “Both bridges would be considered a total loss.”

Some firefighters redeployed to the second scene, while additional resources were called in.

Woodridge resident Scott Kroeker was driving by with his girlfriend, Christiana Gehrer, when they noticed a huge plume of smoke coming from the Road 26 East fire.

After stopping to take pictures, they saw smoke billowing into the air at a second location.

As they drove along Highway 311, they approached a bridge that was fully engulfed in flames. Fire trucks arrived a short time later.

“It was pretty intense,” said Kroeker. “There were some big flames shooting up at some point.”

Most fire crews had cleared the scene by 1 a.m.

Some members remained at the Highway 311 scene Thursday to deal with flare-ups.

It’s believed flames from the crop fire spread to both bridges, said Wiebe.

The Office of the Fire Commissioner is investigating, a spokeswoman said.

While Wednesday evening’s rain helped, the wind changed direction and put some farm structures, including a barn, at risk.

Wiebe said crews managed to save all the buildings.

There are no fire hydrants in the rural area, so water had to be brought in by tankers.

No injuries were reported in either blaze.

Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure is responsible for both bridges.

Staff were assessing the damage Thursday to help determine options for repair or replacement, a spokeswoman said.

Damage estimates are not yet available.

The RCMP helped with traffic control on Highway 311 Wednesday night.

Spokeswoman Cpl. Julie Courchaine said the investigation into the fires is ongoing.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching