Northern Manitoba blaze not affecting Hydro infrastructure

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This article was published 31/08/2017 (2970 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba Hydro’s infrastructure is safe so far from wildfires in northern Manitoba.

“At this time, (fire) does not threaten any installation. There is no concern of a threat to generating stations,” Hydro spokesman Bruce Owen said Thursday. “We continue to work with Sustainable Development to identify power lines and other equipment that may be at risk.

“At this point in time, none is threatened, although we continue to monitor by the hour.”

One pole caught fire earlier in the week, but a crew went in by helicopter and quickly repaired the damage, Owen said.

The Fox Lake fire is closest to any Hydro site, with the Keewatinohk converter station on the Bipole III line in the vicinity, Owen said.

Premier Brian Pallister has frequently criticized the former NDP government for choosing the Bipole III route now under construction.

The Conservatives have always argued it would have been cheaper and faster to build down the east side of Lake Winnipeg — which the NDP considered too environmentally sensitive — and have said Bipole III should have been separated by more distance from existing transmission lines.

Pallister declined to raise such concerns Thursday.

“Our thoughts and concerns are with the residents of the affected communities and their safety and security is our top priority,” he said in a statement.

“I commend the work of the Manitoba Sustainable Development Wildfire Program on their fire-suppression efforts, the provincial Emergency Measures Organization for co-ordinating support from other government agencies, as well as local leadership, staff and our partners at the Red Cross, INAC (Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada) and DND (Department of National Defence).

“I also want to thank the many professionals and volunteers assisting with this operation in Winnipeg, Brandon, Thompson and within the First Nations communities, putting themselves in harm’s way to control and combat the fires,” said the premier.

“We are a community in Manitoba and members of our community are in distress. We are responding as we always do to help our friends and neighbours in need.”

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca