Drizzle in northern Manitoba not enough to quench wildfires as community leaders hope for downpour

Lauren Scott · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 08, 2025 7:36 PM EDT | Last Updated: 32 minutes ago

As evacuees fleeing wildfires successful bluish Manitoba watched rainfall autumn successful parts of the state connected Sunday, assemblage leaders are informing the northbound needs heavier downpour to assistance firefighters connected the ground. 

Lori Forbes, exigency co-ordinator for the Rural Municipality of Kelsey, said Sunday's rainfall didn't autumn wherever it was needed most. 

"We did get the rainfall successful The Pas but we request the rainfall successful the north. We request the rainfall wherever the fires are to assistance the firefighters," Forbes said. 

She said The Pas was astir 100 kilometres distant from the occurrence connected Sunday afternoon. 

According to the province's astir caller occurrence bulletin connected Sunday, the wildfire adjacent Sherridon is much than 300,000 hectares successful size and is inactive retired of control. 

"The further northbound you went, the little rainfall determination was," Forbes said. 

The eight-degree temperatures are helping occurrence crews, she said, but it's windy and the upwind is "changing precise quickly." 

Flin Flon Mayor George Fontaine said helium has been staying with his lad successful Winnipeg since the bluish Manitoba metropolis was evacuated astir 2 weeks ago. 

Fontaine told CBC News that Saturday was a cooler time with calmer winds, allowing crews to bedewed down areas adjacent the municipality and enactment retired immoderate blistery spots. 

However, the upwind and occurrence behaviour has been unpredictable, helium said. 

"I don't cognize that we tin accidental what's going to happen, but I'm hoping for rain, I'll archer you that," Fontaine said from Winnipeg, arsenic a dense downpour was hitting the pavement conscionable earlier 4 p.m. CT. 

"Well, if they got there, what we're getting present today, that would beryllium a beauteous thing," helium said. 

Sheryl Matheson, Sherridon's lawman politician and president of Northern Association of Community Councils, said determination was airy rainfall successful the country that caused a batch of smoke. 

"It wasn't a important magnitude of rainfall that was coming down. It needs to crook into much of a downpour," she said. 

She said the drizzle has been keeping the crushed wet, but it isn't capable to assistance crews battling the fire. 

"We're praying for a downpour," Matheson said.

Find the latest wildfire accusation astatine these sources:

• Canadian wildfire map
• Province of Manitoba occurrence bulletins
• CBC's wildfire tracker
• Communities nether evacuations successful Manitoba

Are you an evacuee who needs assistance? Contact Manitoba 211 by calling 211 from anyplace successful Manitoba oregon email [email protected].