Fires in, around Nopiming Provincial Park triple in size, province says
CBC News | Posted: May 8, 2016 5:24 PM | Last Updated: May 9, 2016
Forest fires to south in Whiteshell Provincial Park grow from 700 to 1,000 hectares
A forest fire along the Manitoba-Ontario border has nearly tripled in size over roughly the last 48 hours, a spokesperson with the province said.
On Friday, the province reported the fire in Nopiming Provincial Park and northwestern Ontario covered an area of 13,000 hectares (or 130 square-kilometres). As of early Sunday afternoon., the fire had grown to 40,000 ha (or 400 square kilometres).
The fire has crept to just east of Beresford Lake and has been raging on for three days now. Gusting winds in the area are making things worse, a spokesperson with the province said.
At least 25 people in the area left their cabins and homes Friday after officials with the province encouraged them to evacuate the area.
Whiteshell fire also spreading
Another fire to the south, northeast of Caddy Lake, is also spreading, putting cottages and homes in Whiteshell Provincial Park at risk. The fire grew from 700 ha (seven square kilometres) on Friday to 1,000 ha (10 square kilometres) on Sunday.
While the blaze in the Whiteshell is much smaller than the one to the north, the area is more densely populated and developed.
- Manitoba winds push Caddy Lake fire east, McDougalls Landing evacuated
- Nopiming wildfire along Manitoba-Ontario border growing, officials say
Evacuation orders for the community of Ingolf, Ont., remain in place.
As of Saturday, nine water bombers from Manitoba and Ontario had been actively dousing both fires.
Check out the province's interactive FireView map for updates on the fire.