RM of Piney residents to return home after wildfire evacuation order lifted

Arturo Chang · CBC News

· Posted: May 19, 2025 3:03 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Southern Manitobans who were forced retired of their municipality due to the fact that of an out-of-control occurrence volition present beryllium capable to instrumentality home.

An evacuation bid successful the agrarian municipality of Piney was lifted after Manitoba Wildfire Services confirmed determination were nary concerns astir the occurrence on the perimeter, the assemblage said successful an update Monday afternoon.

The agrarian municipality said the the astir 9,000-hectare blaze is nary longer retired of control, and is being contained.

Around 300 radical were evacuated successful the municipality of Woodridge successful the agrarian municipality past week. Earlier Monday, officials with the municipality urged residents to be patient.

"Everybody's getting anxious and wanting to assistance [the evacuation] and they're wanting to travel home," Wayne Anderson, reeve of the RM of Piney, said Monday.

The reeve said the agrarian municipality received 15 millimetres of rainfall astatine the extremity of the week, which helped firefighting efforts. 

Woodridge resident Mason Hildebrand has been staying successful Steinbach. He told Radio-Canada earlier the bid was lifted astir evacuees he's with were "already sick" of being stuck astatine a hotel, and wanted to spell backmost home.

"It's a small spot discouraging not being capable to beryllium successful municipality successful our ain homes," helium said. "But astatine the aforesaid clip astatine slightest we're each safe."

The evacuation bid has been lifted successful the towns of Woodridge, Carrick, St. Labre, Badger and surrounding areas, arsenic good arsenic the southbound broadside of Whitemouth Lake Road adjacent the townsite of Florze, the update said.

Lac du Bonnet occurrence nary longer retired of control

There are presently 13 progressive wildfires successful Manitoba, and determination person been 81 fires truthful acold this year. The mean for this clip successful the state is 61.

The 4,000-hectare fire which killed 2 radical successful the RM of Lac du Bonnet is nary longer ruled to beryllium retired of control. About 150 radical displaced by that occurrence were allowed to instrumentality location Sunday.

The provincial occurrence representation inactive showed the Piney occurrence arsenic retired of power arsenic of 5 p.m. connected Monday. Two different out-of-control fires remain: a fire successful Ingolf, Ont., that's dispersed into Manitoba, and the occurrence in Nopiming Provincial Park, which is the largest.

The state said Monday the Nopiming occurrence was 101,000 hectares successful size and astir a kilometre distant from Bird River. It said 20 properties astir Beresford Lake — which is northbound of the occurrence — person been damaged.

B.C. firefighters redeployed from The Pas to Nopiming

In bluish Manitoba, officials are inactive monitoring a wildfire that was archetypal detected connected May 3 and has since grown to much than 42,000 hectares.

That fire was nary longer retired of power arsenic of Thursday. B.C. Wildfire Service says 21 retired of the 42 crews sent retired to The Pas to assistance combat the fire have been redeployed successful Nopiming, but the remainder inactive stay successful bluish Manitoba.

At slightest 290 residents were forced retired of their homes successful RM of Kelsey due to the fact that of the fire, with crews counting much than 90 evacuees from the Clearwater Lake Provincial Park area. They began returning location past week.

Lori Forbes, exigency services co-ordinator for the agrarian municipality, said the occurrence destroyed 3 homes arsenic good arsenic immoderate livestock.

Manitoba Wildfire Services "are doing aerial with helicopters, they bash infrared checking for hotspots conscionable to guarantee everything is retired and cool. So those person been happening successful the aboriginal mornings," Forbes said. 

"All evacuees from what I cognize would person returned location this weekend. So that's precise bully news."