logo
ENع
#

Latest news with #ChristineStevens

Manitoba looks to move Thompson evacuees elsewhere amid struggle for hotel space, minister says
Manitoba looks to move Thompson evacuees elsewhere amid struggle for hotel space, minister says

CBC

time14 hours ago

  • Climate
  • CBC

Manitoba looks to move Thompson evacuees elsewhere amid struggle for hotel space, minister says

Manitoba is looking at moving more than 100 wildfire evacuees from the northern city of Thompson to another part of the province, as it struggles to find enough hotel space for everyone forced out of their homes this spring. As of Thursday, about 114 people were still living in the evacuation centre in that city, including some who had been there for close to three weeks, Lisa Naylor, the minister responsible for Manitoba's Emergency Management Organization, said at a news conference. "It is provincial policy for people not to stay in congregate shelters. And we have worked really hard, but because we can't find rooms in the area we are looking at moving people to a different location in Manitoba," Naylor said. "That's going to be sorted out over the next probably 24 to 48 hours. Folks have been there a really long time, and that was never the intention." Those evacuees are among more than 22,000 people forced out of their homes this spring by wildfires, in what Naylor described as one of the largest evacuations in the province's history. People from 14 Manitoba communities are still evacuated from their homes as wildfires continue to burn across the province, said Christine Stevens, assistant deputy minister of the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization. While evacuees from some areas have started to go home, Stevens said there are a number of elements local officials have to make sure are in place before that happens everywhere, including the return of medical staff and law enforcement, and the reopening of schools, grocery stores and gas stations. As of Thursday, there are 21 wildfires burning across Manitoba, including seven deemed out of control, said Kristin Hayward, assistant deputy minister of the Conservation Officer Service and the Manitoba Wildfire Service. The province overall is at a moderate to high fire danger — and while there are pockets where rain has helped, officials are also anticipating more possible fire starts caused by recent and forecast thunderstorms, Hayward said. Updates on out-of-control fires Hayward also gave updates on a number of out-of-control fires burning near communities across Manitoba, including two in northwestern Manitoba near the city of Flin Flon. One of those fires is now about 7,200 hectares on the Manitoba side of the border, while the other is over 370,000 hectares and still very active after recent rain dried up — though Hayward said crews are still making steady progress in the area immediately around Flin Flon. Another out-of-control fire in eastern Manitoba, in the area of Nopiming Provincial Park, is over 218,000 hectares. Hayward said while that blaze continues to burn actively on its north and west sides, residents in some other areas nearby were able to return home recently, as crews have gotten good control on those sections of the fire. Good progress is being made on an out-of-control fire that's now over 21,500 hectares in the Split Lake area, northeast of Thompson, while another in the Lynn lake region is over 71,000 hectares, with the north half actively burning but the south part, closer to the community, looking better, she said. Another blaze in the Cross Lake area that's about 64,000 hectares has been stable, meaning it's not growing significantly over time, Hayward said. Meanwhile, two other fires in western Manitoba have had their status change, with one near Wanless deemed under control and another close to Grand Rapids being held, she said. 'Could get worse from here, I won't sugarcoat it' As for what the rest of the summer may hold for wildfires in Manitoba, that's more difficult to predict, Hayward said. "I wish I had a crystal ball, as I usually say," she said, adding what's clear is the long-term forecast shows prolonged periods of warmer than average temperatures and a possibility of lower than normal precipitation. "We're coming into a season where we see a lot of thunderstorms and a lot of lighting passing through. So, you know, things could get worse from here, I won't sugarcoat it — but hopefully they don't." WATCH | Thursday's Manitoba wildfire update: Manitoba wildfire update 43 minutes ago Duration 22:47 Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor gives an update on the wildfires burning across Manitoba, alongside Kristin Hayward, assistant deputy minister of the Conservation Officer Service and the Manitoba Wildfire Service, and Christine Stevens, assistant deputy minister of the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization. To date, the province has recorded 124 fires this spring — above the 20-year average of 118 for this time of year, she said. The total area burned in Manitoba this year is now over 902,000 hectares. The province now has 297 people from outside Manitoba helping with the wildfire effort, including some from Newfoundland and Labrador and from Parks Canada. Most are from U.S. federal and state agencies, including firefighters from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan, Hayward said.

Manitoba officials to give wildfire update Thursday at 12:45 p.m. CT
Manitoba officials to give wildfire update Thursday at 12:45 p.m. CT

CBC

time16 hours ago

  • Climate
  • CBC

Manitoba officials to give wildfire update Thursday at 12:45 p.m. CT

Social Sharing Officials in Manitoba will give an update on the wildfires burning across the province on Thursday. Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor is scheduled to speak alongside Kristin Hayward, assistant deputy minister of the Conservation Officer Service and the Manitoba Wildfire Service, and Christine Stevens, assistant deputy minister of the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization. CBC News will livestream the news conference here at 12:45 p.m. CT. As of the province's latest update on Wednesday, there were 21 wildfires burning across Manitoba, several of which were out of control. The out-of-control fires include one near the northwestern city of Flin Flon, which is about 370,780 hectares, and one in the eastern area of Nopiming Provincial Park, which is about 218,700 hectares, the province said Wednesday.

'Another challenging day' fighting Manitoba's wildfires with not enough rain on the way, officials say
'Another challenging day' fighting Manitoba's wildfires with not enough rain on the way, officials say

CBC

time15-05-2025

  • Climate
  • CBC

'Another challenging day' fighting Manitoba's wildfires with not enough rain on the way, officials say

Public urged to stay away from areas where first responders working Hot weather, dry conditions and very windy days have caused multiple fires to erupt in Manitoba, forcing people out of their homes and burning buildings — and forecast rain is not enough to help much, fire officials say. There are 24 active fires, six of them requiring significant response, said Christine Stevens, assistant deputy minister for the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization. "This is an extremely dynamic time for us," she said at a briefing on Wednesday afternoon. "The message that we want to send out to Manitobans today is that if you do not need to be in the parks and if you do not need to be in the areas where first responders need to access, we are asking you to stay away." Six states of emergency have been declared and five provincial parks, three local authorities, three northern communities and 24 cottage subdivisions have issued mandatory evacuation orders. The primary concern right now is around Lac du Bonnet and Nopiming Provincial Park, in southeastern Manitoba, said Kristin Hayward, assistant deputy minister for the Conservation Officer Service and Manitoba Wildfire Service. "There has been some mention of precipitation in the forecast. However, we are not seeing the forecasted amounts anywhere where we'd need them to be to extinguish the fires or make any appreciable difference in what those fires are doing," she said. "So we are going to be having another challenging day, in terms of being able to fight these fires we have and address any new fires that may start." A couple of days of rain to soak the ground and to heighten humidity levels is needed, along with some lower temperatures, Hayward said. But storms bringing rain could also bring lightning, which is a concern, she added. Tackling the current situation has been a test, said Hayward. "We're not seeing a typical fire season anymore. Typically we wouldn't be seeing this level of activity happening until later on in the summer," she said. Usually there would be a short grass fire season before things greened up, followed by "a little bit of a break before the forest fires started," she said. "But we are seeing that our seasons are starting a lot earlier," with forest firefighting starting "probably a month earlier than historically we would be used to." Drone grounds water bomber Another unexpected issue authorities have encountered is the interference of drones. According to a provincial spokesperson, a water bomber working in the Wendigo Beach area of the rural municipality of Lac du Bonnet had to be grounded when a drone flew into the airspace. The situation prompted an angry warning from the RM's emergency co-ordinator. "The flying of drones in an area where water bombers are working is extremely irresponsible and dangerous for the firefighters who are attempting to put a stop to the spread of the fire," stated a message on the co-ordinator's Facebook page. "Anyone caught flying a drone in our evacuation area will be referred to the RCMP for charges." The RM of Lac du Bonnet fire is about 3,000 hectares and the Nopiming one is 100,000 hectares, but the RM is getting the most attention for a couple of reasons, Hayward said. The priority given to fires is based on the value of infrastructure at risk and on fire behaviour, she said. "What we saw with the fire at Nopiming yesterday was extremely volatile fire behaviour [so] that it wasn't even safe to be [going in to fight]. So the decision was made to focus on Lac du Bonnet, where it was safer for us to respond and there was obviously a public safety risk that we wanted to address." Between 800 and 1,000 people have been forced to leave that area, RM of Lac du Bonnet Reeve Loren Schinkel said. The Nopiming fire has burned about 5,000 hectares in the rural municipality of Alexander (which abuts the park boundary), where there are also evacuations, Mayor Jack Brisco said. Anyone in the rural municipality who needs a place to stay should contact the evacuation centre in St-Georges, Brisco said. About 300 people have registered as evacuees with the rural municipality, which is southwest of the Nopiming fire and north of the Lac du Bonnet fire. "Just be safe. If you are in an evacuation area, don't hesitate to get out right now." Krista Diduck and her family were asked to pack their belongings and leave their home in the RM of Alexander on Tuesday evening. With highways closed, she and her three children had to drive past the wildfire. "You could see orange on the tops of the trees and just billowing smoke," she said. "It's really scary.… You see this stuff on the news and [think] it doesn't really apply to you, because it's not you. But when it happens, it really shows you if you're prepared or not." Diduck's father, who left home with her, has been living in the area for about 50 years, and this is the first time he has been ordered to evacuate due to a wildfire, she said. "It's hard not knowing what's going to happen next," said Diduck. Fire near U.S. border Near the U.S.-Manitoba border, pockets in the RM of Piney have also been evacuated. A wildfire in the rural municipality, roughly 115 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg, has grown "substantially," burning up to 7,000 hectares, a news release said Wednesday. The fire stretches roughly 7.5 kilometres along Highway 203 near the town of Badger. The news release said the wildfire had reached railway tracks at Carrick but had not jumped them. So far, at least two buildings have been lost to the fire, the release said. The fire has forced residents living on the south side of Whitemouth Lake Road, near the towns of Carrick, St. Labre and Florez, from Road 65 E. to 68 E., out of their homes. A reception centre has been set up at the community centre in the community of Woodridge. The Manitoba Wildfire Service is deploying heavy machinery to create fire guards to the west and southeast sides of the fire. Meanwhile, a fire near The Pas and Opaskwayak Cree Nation in northwestern Manitoba is still considered out of control at more than 42,000 hectares, but "really good progress in gaining control" is being made and there are no significant concerns, Hayward said. And the fire near the Manitoba border at Ingolf, Ont., is 20,000 hectares. The province is keeping an eye on that should it move into Manitoba. Information on fires is listed on the province's online Fireview map. For those near the fires but not in evacuation zones, "we want you to stay alert, we want you to monitor for communication from the local authority, and we want you to follow their direction," the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization's Stevens said, because things can quickly change. She could not provide any information on how many buildings have been lost during this wave of fires, because "at this time our focus really is on the response phase." Manitoba Hydro announced Wednesday that it is shutting down its Slave Falls and Pointe du Bois generating stations and evacuating them due to the fire situation.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store