Wildfire threatens home, sheep farm near Ashern, Man.
'They saved the place,' says grateful farmer after firefighters and water bombers come to the rescue
Wildfires burning east of Ashern, Man., moved farther north Wednesday night, pushing within a kilometre of a home and sheep farm, an area official says.
Sprinkler systems were turned on Thursday morning to protect the two properties located near Highway 325 and Stark Road, said Randy Helgason, reeve for the rural municipality of West Interlake, on Thursday.
Jean Bruel is grateful to more than 50 firefighters who saved his house, farm and 150 head of sheep.
"It's very scary. When you see the smoke in the yard and see the light two to three metres high, it's scary," he said.
Bruel said help arrived minutes after he called 911.
"Three water bombers, a couple of dozers, and lots of men with a quad in the bush. They do very, very a good job. And I will thank those guys because they saved the place. Now the place is safe."
There are about 90 firefighters working in the area around Ashern, which is about 170 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg in Manitoba's Interlake region. They're putting out hot spots and building fire guards between the town and the wildfires.
Firefighters are also conducting controlled burns between the wildfires and the fire guards, which are mostly made of mud, Helgason said.
"The wind has picked up considerably," he said Thursday morning. "The concern was [the fire] getting over [Highway] 325 and crossing and going north. We want to prevent that at all costs."
Helicopters dumped water on fires burning near Highway 325, which made a noticeable difference in just a couple of hours, Helgason said.
About 900 people in Ashern, which is west of the fire, and in surrounding areas are under an evacuation alert.
Residents should be ready to leave their homes with about two hours notice, including packing all essentials, such as medication and identification, in case the fire threatens the town.
The last fire bulletin published by the Manitoba Department of Sustainable Development said the wildfires near Ashern measure nearly 11,000 hectares. All are considered out of control.
