Wildfires bear down on Leaf Rapids as evacuees hope and pray from afar

Wildfire evacuees from Leaf Rapids were worried Monday after an out-of-control blaze advanced to about two kilometres away from the northern Manitoba town, prompting firefighters to watch for falling embers.

Beverly Baker, who is staying in Winnipeg in a former hotel that is now a wellness centre, said evacuees were nervously waiting for updates.

“The fire is so close. We’re all worried we won’t have homes to go home to,” she told the Free Press. “We pray for our whole community to be safe, and for us to be able to return home whenever we can.”

About 300 residents were forced out of their homes July 8. Leaf Rapids, which has been under provincial administration since 2019, is about 975 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

Two out-of-control fires spread to within a few kilometres of Leaf Rapids, the town said in a social-media post Monday morning. Both were sparked by lightning strikes earlier this month.

Kristin Hayward, assistant deputy minister of the Manitoba Wildfire Service, said a blaze known as fire N113 was about two km northwest of the community as of Sunday. The fire was about 490 hectares in size.

“Leaf Rapids is kind of surrounded by fires,” she said at a news conference. “We’re particularly concerned about that N113 fire today, given we have northwest winds and a lot of good fuel in front of that fire toward the town.”

An aerial crew was unable to observe the fire by Monday afternoon’s update. Heavy smoke prevented aircraft, including water bombers, from getting close to some of Manitoba’s 120 active fires.

Rain was falling in the northern region after a hot and dry weekend, but amounts were generally less than 1 mm before midday, with additional showers expected, Hayward said.

After Tuesday, the next likelihood of rain is not until Friday, she said.

“That period in between would be a potential for things to dry out and start becoming more active again,” Hayward said.

In Leaf Rapids, a fire guard was built around the town, and crews had fire engines ready in case flames spread into the community, she said.

A separate blaze was about three km southwest of Leaf Rapids after crossing a recently built fire break, the town said.

The fire, which covered about 9,150 hectares, moved into the Turnbull Lake area, and jumped Provincial Road 391 in a few places.

The Town of Leaf Rapids said firefighters are working on a 24-hour schedule.

“They are roving around ensuring if any embers reach town they are quickly extinguished,” the post said.

Liz Charrier, a lifelong Leaf Rapids resident, said she was saddened after watching video on social media that showed flames devouring trees at Turnbull Lake.

“My anxiety got a little worse (Sunday) when I saw video of where we take our kids swimming,” she said. “It’s just really heartbreaking to see it on fire.”

Charrier and Baker are concerned about the safety of essential workers who remain in the town, and the well-being of pets that evacuees were unable to take with them.

In addition to Leaf Rapids, officials were closely monitoring fires near Garden Hill Anisininew Nation, Snow Lake, the Laurie River generating station about 200 km northwest of Thompson, and the Kettle Rapids Dam near Gillam, Hayward said.

Nearly 1.3 million hectares of land has burned while Manitoba grapples with its worst wildfire season in 30 years. A provincewide state of emergency — the second of the season — is in effect until Aug. 8.

Christine Stevens, assistant deputy minister of the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization, said more than 13,000 Manitobans were displaced on Monday.

She said nearly 2,500 hotel rooms were being used by evacuees Monday — an increase of 145 since Thursday — while 840 beds were being used at four shelters (Winnipeg convention centre, an indoor soccer complex on Leila Avenue, Billy Mosienko Arena and the University of Winnipeg’s recreational facility).

Hayward said the fire-danger level is high to very high in eastern and northern areas, with some areas of extreme danger. The risk is low in western and central Manitoba.

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Water bombers and helicopters with buckets could not attack some fires at times over the weekend, including one north of Thompson and one in the Nopiming Provincial Park area, because heavy smoke made visibility too poor.

Hayward said firefighters managed to make “good progress” on fires near Thompson, Pimicikamak Cree Nation and Cross Lake, Tataskweyak Cree Nation, Flin Flon and Sherridon.

She said officials were not concerned about Thompson as of Monday because rain was expected to keep fire activity “pretty low.”

“We’re pretty confident in the control that we’ve had there. It’s been tested a number of times, and has held,” Hayward said.

She said the risk to Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation, and St. Theresa Point and Wasagamack First Nations remained relatively low.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Chris Kitching
Reporter

Chris Kitching is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He began his newspaper career in 2001, with stops in Winnipeg, Toronto and London, England, along the way. After returning to Winnipeg, he joined the Free Press in 2021, and now covers a little bit of everything for the newspaper. Read more about Chris.

Every piece of reporting Chris produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.