Grass fire inches close to at least 6 homes in Brokenhead Ojibway Nation in Manitoba
Nobody had to evacuate their homes, Coun. Kevin Thomas says
A grass fire burned through the night and came close to several homes in the Brokenhead Ojibway Nation in Manitoba on Saturday, a councillor from the community says.
Kevin Thomas, who serves as a member of council for the First Nation, says the fire began around 7 p.m. on the borderline of the community, near Highway 59.
"It continued to spread very, very quickly until about 10 last night. It was really out of control," he said in an interview Sunday.
"Last night when I left, it looked like it was slowing down and kind of coming to an end, but unfortunately, the wind picked up overnight, into this morning."
Volunteer firefighters from the community were still at the fire at noon — 17 hours later.
There are no injuries reported and only marshland and fields burned, Thomas said, although he added the fire came close to roughly six homes in the community.
Nobody had to be evacuated from their homes, he said.
Thomas says the fire started near the road and appears as if it was set by a person, although it's not clear if it was intentional or accidental.
CBC News has reached out to the East Selkirk Fire Department, which was battling the fire, for more information.
More from CBC Manitoba:
Clarifications
- We initially reported that firefighters from the East Selkirk Fire Department were on scene for 17 hours. In fact, volunteer firefighters from the community were there through the night.Apr 27, 2021 11:07 AM CT