Power out in northwestern Manitoba town due to wildfire that also destroyed one home

LEAF RAPIDS – Power is out in the northern Manitoba town of Leaf Rapids after a wildfire entered the community earlier this week and destroyed some infrastructure.

Manitoba Hydro said it is aware of some poles and lines that are down in the community, located about 980 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

“We do not have safe access yet to the area for our crews to fully assess the damage or make repairs, so we can’t estimate yet when power could be restored,” media relations officer Peter Chura said in an email to The Canadian Press on Friday.

A nearby blaze jumped the Churchill River on Wednesday evening and entered Leaf Rapids through its industrial area, leaving one home, several abandoned structures and some vehicles damaged.

Fire crews had to temporarily leave the area as ash and embers rained down on the community. They were eventually able to return to continue fire suppression and value protection efforts.

The province’s latest fire information from Thursday shows the blaze is 25 square kilometres in size.

Residents in the town of roughly 350 were forced to leave their homes more than two weeks ago. They have been relying on social media posts to get information about Leaf Rapids, which is overseen by a provincially appointed town administration.

The administration said in a Facebook post on Friday morning that the internet connection is also out in the community.

“Starlink is currently not operating. This makes it very difficult to obtain information,” the post said.

“We have asked for info in various ways and as soon as we hear anything, we will post it.”

Officials met with residents who are staying in Winnipeg on Thursday evening and say another meeting is being arranged for next week.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2025.