Closures and disruptions caused by the wildfires in Manitoba
Several provincial parks and roads are closed until conditions improve
Several areas in eastern Manitoba have been closed off as wildfires continue to wreak havoc and create disruptions in the region.
About 21 fires were active in the province as of Thursday, with blazes in the RM of Lac du Bonnet and north and east of the Whiteshell ruled to be out of control.
Here's a list of disruptions and closures caused by the wildfires. They're current as of Friday at 9 p.m.
Road closures
- Highway 203 from the west Highway 12 junction to the east Highway 12 junction in Piney, near Woodridge, Carrick and Badger.
- Highway 210 from 3 kilometres north of Woodridge to 3 kilometres south of Woodridge.
- Highway 304 from Highway 314 to Bissett.
- Highway 314 from Highway 315 to Highway 304, across Nopiming Provincial Park.
- Highway 315 from Highway 313 in Nopiming to Highway 314 in Pinawa Bay.
- Highway 433 from Highway 313 to Cape Coppermine.
- Highway 313 from Highway 433 to Pointe Du Bois.
- Highway 307 from Seven Sisters to Highway 44 Westbound in Rennie.
- Highway 44 from the Highway 307 junction in Rennie to Highway 1 in West Hawk Lake.
- Highway 301 from Highway 44 near West Hawk Lake to Highway 1 in Falcon Lake.
Parks
Whiteshell Provincial Park will remain closed to the public until conditions improve. Access to the park was restricted as of 1 p.m. on Thursday.
Nopiming, Pinawa Dam, Poplar Bay, Wallace Lake, Woodridge, South Atikaki and Manigotagan River provincial parks also remain closed due to a local state of emergency.
Camping reservations have been cancelled until May 30 in Nopiming, and May 22 in Whiteshell.
Full campfire bans are in place in all provincial parks in eastern and central Manitoba. Backcountry travel will also be restricted across southeastern Manitoba, with motorized and non-motorized travel prohibited without a permit.
The full list of park-related fire and travel restrictions can be found here.
Hydro
Manitoba Hydro said in a release Thursday afternoon it's working to restore power in areas affected by the wildfires. About 400 customers remained without electricity as of that morning, the utility said.
Hydro was able to restore power to about 900 customers along the Lee River late Wednesday.
Manitoba Hydro generating stations at Pointe du Bois and Slave Falls were evacuated late Wednesday.