Manitoba declares state of emergency in provincial park due to fires

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew declared a state of emergency Thursday to aid the evacuation of a provincial park due to wildfires, one day after the bodies of two people were found in the ashes.

Kinew did not provide details about the man and woman who died in the fire in the Rural Municipality of Lac du Bonnet, a popular lakefront cottage area northeast of Winnipeg.

But he said the deaths mean officials are taking the danger seriously and want additional powers to enforce evacuation orders.

An evacuation order issued for Whiteshell Provincial Park said people were to be out by Thursday afternoon. There are 239 permanent homes in the area.

"It doesn’t get more serious than loss of life, and in this case we lost two fellow Manitobans," said Kinew, adding flags have been lowered to half-mast at the legislature.

"We’re heading into a long weekend that is going to be challenging. We have a flood warning on the west side of the province and numerous out-of-control fires on the eastern side of the province."

He urged people to obey evacuation orders and — even though there is no provincial fire ban — asked people to avoid campfires and fireworks over the long weekend.

Officials said there were 21 active fires as of Thursday and the Lac du Bonnet blaze remains out of control. 

"We need people to stay out of the area," said Kristin Hayward with the Manitoba Wildfire Service. 

About 1,000 people were ordered to leave the area earlier this week as fires spurred by dry, hot and windy conditions continued to burn. Near Nopiming Provincial Park, another out-of-control fire covering 1,000 square kilometres continued to burn.

On Thursday morning, skies were hazy and the smell of smoke permeated the area in and around Lac du Bonnet.

People trickled in and out of the town community hall, which served as a registration spot for evacuees.

Evacuee Ed Martens lives in the area and has been staying at the evacuation centre. 

"I could see the flames across the road and the smoke," Martens recalled in an interview.

"It looked like a nuclear bomb went off."

Martens said he has been told his home is likely still standing, but that the lack of additional information has been upsetting.

"Everybody's alive. We're thankful for that."

Rain was in the forecast Thursday, and officials hoped that some residents might be allowed back in the evacuation zone north of the town later in the day.

Officials are working to provide residents with timely information on when they can return, said Loren Schinkel, reeve of the Rural Municipality of Lac du Bonnet.

"We're working collaboratively together to really get some of the restrictions lifted on the evacuation areas," he said.

"We're hoping Mother Nature will assist us with some rain."

There have been about 80 wildfires in Manitoba so far this season, nearly double the average for this time of year.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Laura Proctor