Residents forced out by grass fire in Traverse Bay can return home

CBC News

· Posted: Apr 27, 2025 12:49 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Hundreds of residents forced retired of the Traverse Bay country connected Saturday tin present instrumentality location aft occurrence crews contained a blaze ravaging done hectares of Crown land.

The occurrence began spreading astatine astir 4:30 p.m. connected Saturday successful the municipality of Alexander, a formation assemblage located astir 100 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg connected Lake Winnipeg's confederate shore.

Strong winds fanned the flames, engulfing trees and burning astir 60 hectares, said Gisèle Smith, the municipality's main administrative officer. 

"This happens each twelvemonth this clip of twelvemonth betwixt April and May earlier we get the rains and the green," Smith said. 

Crews from the Victoria Beach Fire Department began tackling the blaze astatine astir 5:15 p.m., but arsenic the occurrence grew person to properties successful the area, residents located betwixt Sunrise Road astatine Traverse Bay Road North, toward Lake Winnipeg, and Traverse Bay Road East astatine Pitt Road were asked to evacuate. 

Roughly 300 radical near their homes connected Saturday, Smith said, but each those who registered with the municipality had their ain accommodations and didn't request assistance to find shelter. 

Crews remained connected tract overnight putting retired the blaze, with the assistance of helicopters that sprayed h2o implicit Crown onshore that had caught fire. 

By Sunday morning, Smith said the blaze was held and the evacuation bid was lifted conscionable earlier 10 a.m. 

It is unclear however the occurrence started oregon however adjacent it got to homes and buildings successful the area, but nary structures were affected. No injuries were besides reported, Smith said. 

Still, fires successful the municipality are a "big concern," she said, particularly connected the formation side, wherever determination are respective trees that died aft being affected by pine beetles.

"We're presently moving connected a assemblage wildfire extortion program to effort and code these issues," she said. 

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