Emergency response to deadly Lac du Bonnet wildfire to be reviewed, reeve says

Caitlyn Gowriluk · CBC News

· Posted: May 17, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

When Glennda Gould fled her location successful Manitoba's wildfire-stricken Lac du Bonnet country this week, it wasn't due to the fact that she'd gotten a notification telling her to evacuate — it was due to the fact that the fume had yet gotten truthful atrocious she felt similar she couldn't enactment immoderate longer.

Gould said she was alert of the adjacent fire. Before she left, she was extracurricular watering her lawn, trying to support the crushed bedewed capable to support her location if the flames approached. But she thought she'd get immoderate announcement erstwhile the blaze was getting adjacent capable to go a menace to her.

"I was expecting, actually, idiosyncratic to travel to the doorway and accidental it was clip to leave, oregon the telephone to spell disconnected done the exigency notification work that we've subscribed to," Gould said. "It didn't happen."

Gould says her acquisition raises concerns astir whether the Rural Municipality of Lac du Bonnet's section exigency effect fto radical cognize to evacuate rapidly enough, and whether the provincial exigency notification strategy should person been used.

"I deliberation it's a learning opportunity," she told big Marcy Markusa in a Friday interrogation with CBC's Information Radio. "I deliberation we trust acold excessively overmuch connected things similar Facebook and email, and not everybody has that…. I wasn't the lone 1 who said that they didn't get a notification to evacuate."

Loren Schinkel, the municipality's reeve, said the assemblage posted alerts connected societal media, utilized the section exigency notification strategy Gould said she expected would alert her, and successful immoderate cases sent radical door-to-door to contented evacuation orders.

But Schinkel besides noted conscionable however rapidly the Lac du Bonnet occurrence dispersed — and the information that immoderate areas successful the assemblage person mediocre cellphone reception.

"So is that the fault? You know, I can't archer you that," helium said Friday. "At the extremity of this, we're going to beryllium down and we're going to bash a precise thorough, fulsome reappraisal of what took spot here. If we tin bash thing better, by each means, we're each for that." 

The Lac du Bonnet occurrence — which arsenic of Friday day was estimated to beryllium implicit 4,000 hectares successful size — has turned deadly, taking the lives of a mates who reportedly got trapped astatine a household location successful the municipality and were discovered connected Wednesday morning.

WATCH | Manitoba mates killed successful wildfire identified:

Schinkel said Friday the occurrence had been contained to the aforesaid boundaries that were established connected Tuesday, erstwhile the blaze was archetypal reported, and crews were dealing with blistery spots to guarantee it doesn't flare up again.

Why nary provincial exigency alert?

When asked Thursday wherefore Manitoba's exigency alert system — which sends alerts to radio, TV and cellphones —wasn't utilized to fto radical cognize astir the wildfire evacuations, Premier Wab Kinew said utilizing that instrumentality "has been portion of the discussion," but it wasn't yet employed due to the fact that it wasn't portion of the municipality's exigency plan.

"When we speech astir the response, we're talking astir pursuing a program that has been acceptable up and drilled and practised. And due to the fact that of that prep work, we don't needfully privation to change, I guess, the M.O., unless there's a superior … telephone for that to happen," Kinew told reporters astatine a quality conference. 

"So I tin archer you that the thought of putting retired an exigency alert was portion of the discussions that we've had. But successful the archetypal instance, we spell with the program that's been drilled locally."

Shelley Napier, managing manager of Napier Emergency Consulting, said she thinks the premier's mentation makes a batch of consciousness — municipal governments are "very aware" of what's going connected successful their ain communities, and it's not needfully a large thought to person a higher level of authorities travel successful to overrule section plans, which are approved each twelvemonth by the province, she said.

"They are stringent plans. They are tested, they are exercised, they are updated each azygous year," said Napier, who was antecedently a determination exigency manager successful Manitoba's Interlake country earlier retiring from a 33-year vocation with the provincial Emergency Management Organization.

"There isn't a assemblage that wants different level of authorities dictating stringent, 'you indispensable bash this, you indispensable bash that' [rules]. And the authorities doesn't enactment similar that with the municipalities."

While that alert strategy whitethorn not person been portion of Lac du Bonnet's exigency plan, Reeve Schinkel said Friday helium would beryllium unfastened to utilizing "anything that benefits communication" successful the future.

"Our hearts spell retired to the radical that consciousness that, you know, we've failed them," Schinkel told Markusa connected Friday. "And if we tin amended successful immoderate fashion, we'll surely bash that."

Having a program 1 happening — knowing it another

Lac du Bonnet evacuee Michelle Potter said she tried to drawback arsenic galore things arsenic she could earlier leaving her location successful the country this week, not knowing if it would inactive beryllium lasting erstwhile she was allowed to return.

Potter said she soon realized conscionable however ill-prepared she was for that benignant of emergency. Her daughter, Emily Potter, was successful a akin situation, and said she'd promote radical to person "a much extended evacuation plan" than they did.

WATCH | Lac du Bonnet residents recount evacuation arsenic wildfire raged nearby:

"I cognize that I didn't person immoderate plans, and I deliberation you request to beryllium tapped successful with your … section RM and your section town, and cognize what's going connected astatine each times," Emily said connected CBC News Network this week.

"Nobody plans for thing similar this to happen, but you request to beryllium capable to get retired quickly."

Emergency advisor Napier said portion it's important for communities to person coagulated plans, what's important is reviewing and practising those plans, truthful municipal unit and residents really cognize what to bash the infinitesimal they're thrust into an emergency.

"An exigency program is simply words connected insubstantial successful a binder. It's not going to support you safe," Napier said.

"We can't foretell erstwhile we're going to get different large-scale tornado. We can't foretell erstwhile the upwind is going to beryllium similar this, and it kicks up truthful hot. But I cognize this from my vocation successful exigency management, that being prepared is going to prevention your life."