State of local emergency declared in some eastern provincial parks as wildfires escalate in Manitoba

CBC News

· Posted: May 13, 2025 1:07 PM EDT | Last Updated: 13 minutes ago

The Manitoba authorities has declared a authorities of section exigency for a fig of provincial parks successful eastbound Manitoba, and issued an evacuation bid for 1 of them arsenic wildfire conditions successful the country proceed to escalate.

An evacuation bid has been issued for Nopiming Provincial Park, portion states of section exigency person been declared for that parkland arsenic good arsenic the Wallace Lake, South Atikaki and Manigotagan River provincial parks.

All 4 volition stay closed to the nationalist until occurrence conditions improve, the state said successful a occurrence bulletin issued aboriginal Tuesday morning.

The evacuation bid affects the pursuing areas:

• Bird, Booster, Davidson and Flanders lakes successful southbound Nopiming, wherever cottagers, commercialized edifice and lodge operators, backcountry users and campers were asked to evacuate by 11 a.m. Tuesday.
• Long and Beresford lakes successful northbound Nopiming, wherever cottagers, commercialized edifice and lodge operators, backcountry users and campers were asked to evacuate by noon Tuesday.
• Wallace Lake, South Atikaki and Manigotagan River, wherever cottagers, residents, commercialized edifice and lodge operators, backcountry users and campers were asked to evacuate by noon Tuesday.

All nationalist and backstage developed areas successful the 4 parks affected by the authorities of section exigency are besides present closed to the public.

That includes cottage subdivisions, commercialized areas, campgrounds, radical usage sites, time usage sites and each recreational areas including trails, beaches, backcountry canoe routes and campsites, the bulletin says.

The state says it's besides taking steps successful Whiteshell Provincial Park successful effect to an out-of-control wildfire on the Ontario border. 

As a result, the Mantario Trail, the Whiteshell River Self-Guiding Trail and the h2o routes, portages and backcountry campsites on the Whiteshell River and Mantario country from Caddy Lake to Lone Island Lake are closed. Those closures volition besides enactment successful spot until conditions improve.

More evacuations ordered

An out-of-control fire successful the Bird River country successful eastbound Manitoba that was detected connected Monday was estimated Tuesday to beryllium astir 5,000 hectares successful size, according to the province's online occurrence map.

Provincial crews were moving connected that occurrence and hoping to marque advancement connected it Tuesday, a provincial spokesperson said successful an email.

They added municipalities instrumentality the pb connected evacuation orders, and the agrarian municipality of Alexander has posted evacuation orders for immoderate residents and cottagers successful that area.

The state besides recommended evacuation for the Tanco Mine successful eastbound Manitoba, which the spokesperson said the institution agreed to.

A fire adjacent the assemblage of Libau, astir 60 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, is being worked connected by section occurrence departments, with enactment and co-ordination from the provincial occurrence commissioner's office, the spokesperson said.

Updates connected the authorities of section exigency for Nopiming and the closures and occurrence restrictions successful different provincial parks are disposable connected the Manitoba Parks website.

More accusation astir wildfires crossed the state is disposable connected the government's website. Wildfires tin beryllium reported by calling 911 oregon the TIP enactment toll-free astatine 1-800-782-0076.