logo
Hot weather, low precipitation fuelling fire conditions in Manitoba

Hot weather, low precipitation fuelling fire conditions in Manitoba

CTV News6 days ago
A helicopter crew works on a wildfire in northern Manitoba during a helicopter tour in the surrounding area of Flin Flon, Man. on Thursday, June 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mike Deal-Pool
The warm, dry weather in Manitoba over the weekend fuelled wildfire activity throughout the province.
'We saw increased fire behaviour on nearly all fires,' said Kristin Hayward, assistant deputy minister with Manitoba Wildfire Service during a news conference on Monday.
Hayward noted the province is keeping an eye on fires near Laurie River Generating Station, Kettle Rapids Dam, Garden Hill, Leaf Rapids and Snow Lake.
'So far, only minor amounts of precipitation have fallen in fire areas,' Hayward said. 'We're seeing generally less than one millimetre as of this morning.'
There are 120 active wildfires burning in Manitoba, down two from Friday's bulletin. There have been 331 fires to date in the province, well above the 20-year average of 243.
Hayward noted the smoky conditions in Manitoba, which have prompted air quality statements and warnings, prevented water bombers and aerial fire suppression efforts.
'They need good visibility to safely conduct their operations,' she said.
Despite this, she said crews made 'good progress' on fires near Thompson, Cross Lake, Split Lake and Flin Flon.
Hayward said the province is 'pretty confident' about the fire control efforts near Thompson.
'It has been tested a number of times, and it has held,' she said.
Over 13,000 people have been evacuated due to the wildfires, according to Christine Stevens, assistant deputy minister with the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization.
'As of this morning, we currently occupy close to 2,500 hotel rooms, which is up by about 145 hotel rooms since yesterday,' Stevens said.
There are 840 congregate shelter beds being utilized by evacuees in Manitoba, Stevens said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Bay and Algoma Buskers Festival marks 10th year
Bay and Algoma Buskers Festival marks 10th year

CBC

time3 hours ago

  • CBC

Bay and Algoma Buskers Festival marks 10th year

While some intense weather caused some concern over the weekend, the 2025 Bay and Algoma Buskers Festival was a success, organizers said. The 10th annual festival ran Saturday and Sunday in the Bay and Algoma neighbourhood. It featured various food and merchandise vendors, and performers from Thunder Bay, and around the world, including: Steve Goodtime Seb and Fritzzz Fraser Hooper Skye the Guy Kasmir the Hungry The Kidd Creed Statuary Women in Silk Taiko Drummers Phineas Gauge, and the Bay Street Bastards. Things got underway later than planned on Sunday, due to a heavy downpour that hit the city late in the morning, said Uriel Lubuk, one of the event's coordinators. "It was awesome to see a lot of the arts and culture community come out," he said. "Awesome vendors, lots of smiley faces, lots of kids." "We've always wanted free family fun," Lubuk said. "People come down, tip the buskers, see something new and amazing that they haven't seen before." One of the local buskers was Zachary Ross, who performed both Saturday and Sunday. "I've started learning how to do folk music," he said. "I host open mics at Lakehead Beer Company, and yeah, just love the community and love going out to play." "I think it's a great time," he said of the festival. "I love seeing everyone out here." Lubuk said organizers are already turning their attention to next year's buskers festival "and just seeing how we could push through, do a little bit better next year, but just keep the vibes the same."

Over 1,000 participants swim, cycle and run at Ironman 70.3 west of Calgary
Over 1,000 participants swim, cycle and run at Ironman 70.3 west of Calgary

CTV News

time6 hours ago

  • CTV News

Over 1,000 participants swim, cycle and run at Ironman 70.3 west of Calgary

Over 1,000 competitors swam, cycled and ran at Ironman 70.3 Sunday at Lake Harmony, west of the city. It might have been a little wet and chilly for the folkies on Sunday, but the weather was just right for the competitors in the Ironman 70.3. Over one thousand people from around the world swam, cycled and ran Sunday at Lake Harmony, west of Calgary. For event organizer Tom Bamford, it couldn't have been nicer. 'We're thrilled to be at the community here, just west of Calgary,' he said. 'Lake Harmony is a great venue, because we have open highways, we have vistas of the Rocky Mountains, (and) a beautiful lake to swim in.' 'We've got 1,100 athletes from around the world, (from) 16 countries,' he added, 'and it's a world championship qualifying race for (the Ironman event in) Nice, France next year.' Bamford said being a world championship qualifying race is significant. 'Well, the race is part of a global series of Ironman events,' he said. 'The 70.3 level is a certain distance, and it has a world championships that athletes can qualify for -- 30 men, 30 women in their own age groups can qualify for the world championships. Tom Bamford, July 27, 2025 Tom Bamford is the race manager of Ironman 70.3, which took place Sunday at Lake Harmony west of Calgary. (Tyson Fedor, CTV Calgary) 'We also have hundreds of other athletes,' he added, 'that just really want to get the distance done. And we have relay teams too, enjoying the day.' He said the wet, chilly weather conditions Sunday made for a tough cycle but by the time participants get to the running portion of the race, they feel better. 'When you're on the bicycle and the wind and the rain (come down), it is a challenging experience, and we're doing some modifications on the course just to make sure everybody gets home safe and sound,' he said. 'But once they hit the run, they start warming up, they get the blood flowing down to the feet -- and everybody kind of is in a better position, and they look forward to that finish line.' For more about the Ironman 70.3, go here. With files from CTV's Tyson Fedor

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