Wildfire evacuations in RM of Alexander, Whiteshell partially lifted

Some people forced from homes and cottages by Manitoba's largest wildfire are allowed to return — but with a warning they must be ready to evacuate in two hours, if necessary.

"That's probably close to half, maybe one-third, of all the people affected can go back. A very big estimated number is [that the fire is] affecting 1,000 people, so it's possible that a few hundred are going back," said Jack Brisco, mayor of the rural municipality of Alexander.

The rural municipality covers a large area, from the eastern shore of Lake Winnipeg westward to Nopiming Provincial Park and land east of Lac du Bonnet. That eastern part of the RM is between the wildfire in the RM of Lac du Bonnet and the massive fire raging through Nopiming. 

The Lac du Bonnet fire, which peaked at about 4,000 hectares, is now listed as being held. The Nopiming fire is over 100,000 hectares and still listed as out of control.

It's more than twice the size of the province's next largest fire, near The Pas and Opaskwayak Cree Nation, which grew to 42,650 hectares at one point but is now being held, according to the province's FireView page.

The Nopiming fire has burned about 5,000 hectares in the RM of Alexander.

However, "the municipality has been advised that the imminent risk of danger to life and properties in your area has diminished at this time," says a message posted to the RM of Alexander website on Tuesday evening.

As a result, the evacuation order has been lifted for the area west of the intersection of Highways 313 and 315 — Miller Road, Lakeshore Bay, Paradise Lane, Pinawa Place, Woodland Drive, Cedarwood Road, Strong Road, Tuokko Drive, Keystone Heights, Second Street and First Street.

To be allowed to return, residents must register with the RM of Alexander's Connect system, a communication system that issues alerts.

"If you can't get out within two hours, you're not going to be allowed to go back," Brisco said. "Because the fire is still ongoing … [and] it does not take long for it to travel through miles of bush if the wind is blowing the right way.

"People really want to go home, and we really do want them to go home, but only under safe conditions."

The decision to lift part of the evacuation order was made by the Manitoba Wildfire Service in consultation with the crews on the ground, Brisco said.

"They deemed safe enough, as long as the people are on Connect."

The Nopiming fire has destroyed 20 cabins and homes around Beresford Lake and 19 structures on seasonal sites at Black Lake. People there have said the intensity of the heat has caused boats to partially melt.

But so far, there have been no losses in the RM of Alexander, Brisco said.

"We have not lost a building or even a shed, as far as I know."

The RM of Lac du Bonnet fire is not as much of a concern, because it's on the other side of a bay and the Bird River, Brisco said.

Parts of Whiteshell reopen

Some residents are also being allowed back into parts of Whiteshell Provincial Park. Manitoba Parks issued an updated evacuation order on Wednesday. 

Permanent residents, cottagers and commercial operators are allowed to return in the following areas:

• Falcon Lake and Barren Lake in the south Whiteshell.
• Sylvia Lake, Eleanor Lake, Dorothy Lake, Otter Falls, Barrier Bay, Nutimik Lake and Betula Lake in the north Whiteshell.

 Access to these lakes is only through Seven Sisters, via Highway 307. The highway remains closed from Rennie to Betula Lake.

Campgrounds will remain closed, in part to limit traffic volumes in the park.

All other restrictions also remain in effect: no campfires, no backcountry travel and no access to hiking trails.

Higher-risk zones of the park remain closed, the update says.

The fire impacting the park started in Ingolf, Ont., along the Manitoba-Ontario border. It has reached more than 31,000 hectares in size.

The part of the fire in Manitoba is estimated at 1,640 hectares.