Seven goats have been lost in the fire still raging near The Pas in northern Manitoba, according to an official from the local municipality.
Lori Forbes, emergency co-ordinator for the RM of Kelsey, said the losses came after the blaze jumped the Carrot River, which runs east-west through the area, destroying three homes. The fire then jumped another barrier, Provincial Highway 283, spreading into a field with stubble.
“Fire is a crazy thing,” she said. “It moves the way it wants to move. It’ll find the driest path and find that direction.”
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WHY IT MATTERS: Dry conditions in Manitoba this spring have set the stage for damaging fires, including in agricultural areas.
That incursion formed a panhandle of active fire zone on the southeastern edge of a blaze that has been burning for over two weeks. As of May 19, the fire covered 42,650 hectares.
Local farmers turned out in the face of the suddenly much closer blaze, Forbes noted.
“We had amazing farmers that were given the go-ahead to take their cultivators and go around as many properties as possible, in a safe way. And that was done well ahead of time, which was an amazing bit of work,” she said.
Forbes doesn’t believe any acres were seeded that far north at the time the fire, and the seven lost goats do not represent the owners full herd. She has also not heard of any cattle deaths.
The Manitoba Co-operator has has not yet been able to contact the owner of the goat farm.
Turn in the weather helps
Chillier weather and rain helped smother fire activity in Manitoba over the May long weekend, but the province says risk is still high on several existing fires due to dry forests.
Emergency crews with the Manitoba Wildfire Service were battling 13 active wildfires, including the fire west of The Pas, a fire bulletin sent out by the province on Victoria Day said. The fire had been reclassified from “out of control” to “being held,” however, according to the service’s fire map.
Eastern fires in the RM of Piney, RM of St. Clements and near Lac du Bonnet (the latter of which killed two people) were also classified as “being held.”
Fires in the Whiteshell and Nopiming provincial parks were still “out of control,” according to the fire bulletin. The local fire department is partnering with the provincial wildfire service to use thermal scanning and target the fire’s hot spots, the bulletin added. There is good progress on putting it out, the province said.
Provincial Highway 315 is closed and blocked at Bird River, the province said, and Bernic Lake Mine has been evacuated along with residents in nearby impacted areas. Likewise, Provincial Highway 44 through the Whiteshell Provincial Park remained closed, as well as the park itself with evacuations in effect.
The 4,008-hectare fire, six kilometres from Lac du Bonnet, has retreated enough that some evacuated residents have been able to return home. Other residential evacuations are still in place.
Last week, as evacuation notices spread through communities, auction marts opened their doors to displaced livestock. Both Heartland Livestock Services in Virden and Grunthal Auction Mart took to social media to offer space.
“We haven’t had any (calls),” said facility manager and auctioneer Brad Kehler. “But we’re more than happy to help out our fellow ranchers and farmers.”
Last week, Heartland Livestock Services said it had received about 10 calls.
