Tragedy has struck one Manitoba community as RCMP say two people were found dead in the RM of Lac du Bonnet, believed to be due to injuries suffered in the wildfires that continue to burn.
The bodies of a man and woman were found in the Wendigo Road area and police were aware that the pair had been trapped, but because of extreme conditions on Tuesday, emergency crews were not able to reach the location until Wednesday morning.
“This is truly a tragic event,” said RM of Lac du Bonnet reeve Loren Schinkel. “We’re a very close-knit community here and certainly the family, friends and loved ones that have been impacted by this have our profound sympathies at this news.”
There are no other reports of people unaccounted for in the RM of Lac du Bonnet.
Manitoba RCMP have sent 12 officers to the Lac du Bonnet area to help residents evacuate and to support local officials.
Schinkel says there’s been significant property loss in some parts of the RM of Lac du Bonnet, but it’s too early to say just how much has been destroyed.
Schinkel told 680 CJOB’s The Start that water bombers, a helicopter and heavy equipment are all being used to battle the blaze.
“We’ve extended the evacuation order into the Pinawa Channel area,” he said.
“I would estimate there’s 800 to 1,000 people who have been displaced from their homes because of that.”
A drop in temperature is in the forecast for Thursday and Friday, and Schinkel said he’s hopeful the colder temperatures — along with a shift in the wind — will help with the fight against the flames.
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The reeve said he feels for residents who have lost property to the wildfire, but is urging his constituents to abide by evacuation orders and other restrictions, for their own safety.
“I know there’s residents that are still in that (affected) area, that refuse to leave and spent the night fighting alongside everybody there, but if you’ve been told to leave, leave your residence,” he said.
“I know it’s difficult, but at the end of the day, property can be replaced. Lives can’t be.”
The province asks everyone to not fly drones in the wildfire areas, noting that water bombers fighting the Lac du Bonnet fire had to be grounded for safety’s sake at one point because someone was flying a drone in the area.
Whiteshell Provincial Park will also be closed on Thursday, according to the province’s Emergency Measures Organization.
Cottage owners in eastern Manitoba near the Ontario border are also hoping the weather — including some incoming rain in the forecast — will have an impact.
A fire in Ingolf, Ont., near the Manitoba boundary, has closed part of Whiteshell Provincial Park, and cottagers are in the process of evacuations, which began Tuesday.
Ken Pickering with the Whiteshell Cottagers Association told 680 CJOB that attempts to put an end to the blaze continued overnight, but many communities in the region have already been forced to evacuate.
Evacuation orders were issued for parts of Caddy Lake, West Hawk Lake, Big Whiteshell, Pointe du Bois and other areas.
“I’m hoping that cooler temperatures and possibly the changes in direction of wind have maybe helped curb some of that fire, and maybe the weather’s helping out there,” Pickering said.
“So fingers crossed.”
An Ontario government spokesperson said Tuesday that structures have been lost on the Ontario side as well, but couldn’t give an exact number.
A wildfire evacuee from Nopiming Provincial Park says he’s thankful to be safe but hopes his business will still be there when he can return.
John Toutant owns Big Woods Wilderness Outfitters at Nopiming Lodge and was one of hundreds who were ordered out yesterday.
He said the smoke and heat were intense — and since there’s been no rain in the area since the snow melted, so the region was like a tinderbox waiting to ignite.
“You’re in your vehicle with the air conditioning on, because it was so hot, and you’re trying to keep the smoke out of your car,” he said.
“There’d be flames on both sides of your vehicle, just in the ditch and right across the ditch from you… trees on fire 30-40 feet up, the ground burning, there were areas where we literally slowed down to a crawl because you couldn’t see the vehicle in front of you.”
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