Minnesota firefighting crew sent to help battle wildfire near Leaf Rapids being redeployed

A team of firefighters from Minnesota that was en route to northwestern Manitoba to help battle a wildfire near Leaf Rapids has been redeployed to fight another wildfire in the province.

The crew of 17 people left the Minnesota Interagency Fire Center in Grand Rapids, Minn., on Monday and arrived in Winnipeg that evening, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources told CBC News.

They were supposed to head for Leaf Rapids on Tuesday, where a wildfire prompted an evacuation order that forced nearly 400 people out of the community last week.

However, the province said Tuesday that evacuation order has now been lifted. While the fire near Leaf Rapids is still burning, it is moving away from the community, a provincial spokesperson said.

The Minnesota fire crew is now being sent to a nearly 4,200-hectare fire north of Grand Rapids, Man., on the northwestern shore of Lake Winnipeg.

Leanne Langeberg, a public information officer with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, said they started putting a crew together to send to Manitoba last Friday.

Several of the team members have special qualifications and expertise with power saws, Langeberg said.

"They will bring that equipment up with them, along with engines, and then just the necessary tools to be able to work to establish a fire control lines," she said.

Those team members work at clearing out vegetation down to bare soil. They will support ground fire suppression efforts and will likely establish fire fuel breaks in the remote backcountry, the Minnesota department said.

"They're capable to build and construct those containment lines that essentially will hold the fire from advancing further beyond that line, which is very useful in helping to protect communities at risk," Langeberg said.

While it's unclear how long the team could be in Manitoba, they are prepared to be assigned to a fire for up to 14 days, not including travel time, which could mean the teams are away for 18 to 20 days, the Minnesota natural resources department said.

"Certainly conditions can change if … rain moves into the area and Mother Nature just steps in and takes over," Langeberg said.

"Those assignments can be cut a little bit shorter, but the expectation is is that they're packed, ready to go to be available to support a full 14 days."

International agreement

The team is here through an international mutual aid agreement, the Great Lakes Forest Fire Compact, which enables five states and provinces — Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Manitoba and Ontario — to share firefighting resources upon request throughout the region.

The partnership allows co-operation and collaboration as well as shared training.

During Minnesota's extensive 2021 wildfire season, the state's natural resources department requested additional support and received access to engines, aircraft and firefighters.

"Canada is experiencing a historic fire season this year, and I'm proud that our DNR wildland firefighters are ready to protect life and property in Minnesota and beyond, whenever the call comes in," department of natural resources commissioner Sarah Strommen said in a news release. 

"The Minnesota DNR's partnership with Canada and with our neighbouring states ensures we can quickly and efficiently share resources to respond to wildfires throughout the region."