'Too close for comfort': Wildfire near Caddy Lake puts cottagers on edge

A wildfire burning near the Manitoba and Ontario border kept cottagers on edge Sunday afternoon.

Robert Granke was fishing at the south end of Caddy Lake around 4:15 p.m. when he says he first saw the fire and called 911.

"It was thick black smoke and you could see the flames at the top of the trees — it was really quite intense," Granke told CBC News by phone from his cottage late Sunday.

"The fire seemed like it was really, really too close for comfort."

Shortly after, Granke said he ran into the local fire chief on the lake who told him to be on alert and ready to evacuate, if needed.

"It was not a surprise because we could certainly see that this fire was going full force and we could actually see the flames at the top of the trees, so we knew something serious was going on," he said.

Granke said he watched from his cottage as water bombers from both Manitoba and Ontario worked to douse the flames.

"They worked for the better part of three hours," he said, adding the fire looked to be under control by shortly after 7 p.m.

The fire prompted the precautionary evacuation of at least one resort on the east side of the lake.

Mark Sawatzky was at his trailer at Green Bay Resort when one his neighbours rushed over to warn him and his wife about the fire around 4:30 p.m.

"We could see this huge plume of smoke," he said.

The couple said they were asked by the resort to leave the area.

"We just shut everything down really quick… packed up our dogs and left," said Sawatzky.

"We're thankful that we have each other and our pets, and at the end of the day, it's just possessions — as long as you have your family, that's what counts."

The province closed Highway 312 from Highway 44 to the Ontario border around 6:30 p.m. due to a fire in the area.

There is no official word on the size or status of the fire.

CBC News has reached out to provincial and local fire officials for an update.

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