Home security system offers glimpse of wildfire efforts

Despite being more than 400 kilometres away, Kristina Lies was able to give firefighters a message that many fellow wildfire evacuees want to share with crews who are protecting their homes from ruin.

Lies thanked a crew while they set up sprinklers at her home and outfitting lodge, which is equipped with a home security system that allows her to watch live video feeds and speak to visitors remotely via an app.

“We sent our blessings to them, and they said, ‘No problem,’” said Lies, who co-owns Westwood Lodge, just southeast of Flin Flon on Big Island Lake, with her husband Joe.

On social media, Lies posted images from the video feed which showed the crew and a red fire truck in the background Friday afternoon.

“It was just nice to see the red in my yard, and not the bad kind,” she said.

Lies said the hundreds of firefighters who are battling blazes across Manitoba — including the province’s largest, which is threatening Flin Flon and other communities — are “second to none.”

“What they’ve been going through day and night — all hours and non-stop — I can’t say enough about them. I don’t think any of us can,” said Lies, who is staying with her daughter in Swan River.

For the evacuees who have them, security camera feeds offer a real-time glimpse into what is happening on the ground in evacuated communities, especially those where fires are on their doorsteps.

“We’re blessed to have a camera on our place that gives a little bit of reassurance,” Lies said. “For people who live in that area, that (social media post) was a huge relief to them.”

“What they’ve been going through day and night — all hours and non-stop — I can’t say enough about them. I don’t think any of us can.”–Kristina Lies

She doesn’t know the status of the lodge’s outpost on Kisseynew Lake, an area northeast of Flin Flon.

While the footage can provide comfort, some residents of Denare Beach, Sask., about 20 kilometres from Flin Flon, watched as flames destroyed their homes earlier this month.

About 260 firefighters have been holding back flames at the perimeters of Flin Flon and neighbouring Creighton, Sask., for days.

The blaze was an estimated 140 kilometres long and five kilometres wide as of Friday. It measures more than 307,000 hectares on the Manitoba side, after several fires merged to become one.

The City of Flin Flon said no structures were lost as of Saturday morning, after south winds drove flames toward that side of the community Friday.

“Crews will be focused on protecting the south side of Flin Flon, up the western and eastern ends of the city,” a statement said Saturday. “The wind has shifted and is blowing from the north, pushing the fire back onto itself. Winds are calm this morning. Asset protection is in place and ready to go if required.”

Manitoba remains under very high to extreme wildfire danger, despite this weekend’s rain and temperatures cooling to seasonal levels, the province said in a bulletin Saturday.

Flin Flon, home to about 5,000 people, issued a mandatory evacuation order May 28 as flames moved toward the city. Some residents made a roughly 10-hour, overnight drive to an evacuation reception centre in Winnipeg.

Lies said she is thankful for communities across Manitoba that have welcomed evacuees in private homes, shelters or hotel rooms, and Manitobans who’ve donated food or meals, clothing and supplies to displaced people who had to leave with few belongings or essentials.

“They’re just making us feel that we’re not alone,” she said. “I hope that everybody is safe and grateful for the support that the communities we’ve been sent to have shown us.”

The Rural Municipality of Kelsey said ground crews were working near Flin Flon’s airport, and sprinkler systems were active in the Bakers Narrows and Schist Lake areas.

Sherridon and Snow Lake are among the communities threatened by the same fire. Snow Lake’s mandatory evacuation order went into effect at noon Saturday. The town is home to about 1,100 people.

Mandatory evacuation orders were in place for at least 27 areas. A provincewide state of emergency is in place until at least June 26.

The Manitoba Wildfire Service reported 28 active fires, including 11 that were out of control. To date, 113 wildfires have been reported this year. The average for this time of year is 97 total fires.

A majority of the fires was caused by human activity.

Manitoba has deployed more than 650 personnel to the firefighting effort. About 175 firefighters have come from across Canada and the U.S. to help.

Quebec sent 60 firefighters to help battle a blaze the province said was burning from Bird River to Bissett, and in parts of Nopiming Provincial Park, in eastern Manitoba.

The out-of-control fire was about 203,700 hectares as of Friday.

“They are working on fire lines, and they are doing some suppression of hot spots on the ground,” Philippe Bergeron, a spokesman for Quebec’s forest fire prevention agency, known as SOPFEU, said.

Two SOPFEU representatives travelled to Manitoba with the crew last Tuesday.

Rain was predicted for some fire-hit areas this weekend, as were strong wind gusts.

Provincial officials previously said the anticipated rainfall amounts would help crews make progress on wildfires, but would not be enough to extinguish the blazes.

Environment Canada and Climate Change Canada issued an air quality warning for much of northern Manitoba and some eastern communities due to wildfire smoke.

Thompson cancelled its Nickel Days Festival, which was due to take place June 19-22, because of wildfires in the North.

“The safety and well-being of our residents, visitors and emergency responders is top priority,” the festival’s committee said in a statement. “With air quality concerns, road closures, evacuations and active firefighting efforts in many nearby areas, we believe this is the most responsible course of action.

“Our thoughts are with all those impacted by the wildfires and evacuations, and we extend our deepest gratitude to the first responders working tirelessly to keep us safe.”

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca