More than 300 residents evacuated as grass fire burns in Traverse Bay

Lauren Scott · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 27, 2025 12:37 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

A fast-moving writer occurrence has forced much than 300 residents successful Manitoba's Traverse Bay area to evacuate their homes arsenic section firefighters conflict the blaze.

Around 5:15 p.m. connected Saturday, the Victoria Beach Fire Department confirmed successful a nationalist announcement posted to Facebook that it was warring a fast-spreading writer occurrence successful the formation assemblage located astir 100 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg connected Lake Winnipeg's confederate shore.

"The entity was conscionable afloat of achromatic and achromatic smoke, conscionable immense billowing fume coming up," said Brent Gillon, who drove by the occurrence astir 4:30 p.m., earlier the exigency alert went retired to the public.

"The woods were afloat engulfed."

The Municipality of Alexander, which includes Traverse Bay, estimates betwixt 300 and 400 residents were evacuated from homes located betwixt Sunrise Road astatine Traverse Bay Road North, toward Lake Winnipeg; and Traverse Bay Road East astatine Pitt Road, toward Lake Winnipeg.

The municipality has declared a section authorities of emergency, which volition stay successful effect until May 2. A occurrence prohibition is besides successful place.

Evacuees were initially told to spell to the Esso state presumption astatine the country of Highway 59 and Highway 11 — a spot that has antecedently been utilized arsenic a "clearing space," says proprietor Paul Gooding.

Gooding told CBC determination were betwixt 70 and 80 evacuees successful the Esso parking batch conscionable earlier 7 p.m. Saturday. 

"They're each precise anxious, which is wholly understandable," helium said, watching the smoke's colour periodically displacement from airy to acheronian and backmost again.

Around 7 p.m., the municipality updated its evacuation notice, asking affected residents to registry astatine the Grand Marais Recreation Centre. They had until 10 p.m. to drawback immoderate pets and different essentials from their homes.

'Winds are truly strong'

Residents would not be capable to instrumentality to their homes Saturday night, said Gisèle Smith, the municipality's main administrative officer. 

Smith told CBC astir 9 p.m. that the occurrence had dwindled to crushed level, but it's hard to foretell erstwhile it mightiness beryllium extinguished. At that point, occurrence crews were inactive connected site.

"The winds are truly beardown close now. So I'm definite that's what made the occurrence spell truthful fast," she said.

Evacuees can't enactment astatine the assemblage centre, Smith said, truthful they whitethorn person to enactment overnight astatine a adjacent motel if they person obscurity other to go. 

R.D. Brown says helium lives northbound of the blaze, but his brother-in-law lives adjacent Eastland Road and had to determination his motortruck and trailer retired of the area. 

Brown said his household is waiting for much accusation from the municipality, portion preparing to fly if the upwind changes.

"I'm conscionable trying to deliberation of what you got that you can't replace, and drawback it," Brown said, adding he's getting the vehicles acceptable conscionable successful lawsuit they person to go.

"In a mates hours, we'll person a amended thought of what's going connected and however it's going to impact us. But close present the wind's blowing south, truthful that's a bully thing," helium said.

"If it changes to the north, well, it'll beryllium a full antithetic picture."