Returning Nopiming residents thankful their homes were spared by wildfire

Some Manitobans living and working in Nopiming Provincial Park have returned home more than a month after they were forced out by the largest wildfire in the province's east.

The southern part of the park — including Bird, Booster, Flanders and Davidson lakes, as well as Provincial Road 315 — reopened for permanent residents, cottagers and commercial operators Wednesday at 8 a.m.

Martin Enns said he's grateful he has a cabin to go back to.

"I really didn't know at one point whether they could stop the fire or not," the Booster Lake cottager said. 

"It's just so powerful. It's huge and, from the map that I was looking at … 90 per cent of the park is burned. So how do you stop a monster like that?"

The news comes 36 days after an evacuation order was issued for communities in the area because of the fire, which was then about 5,000 hectares in size.

It's continued growing, and as of Thursday's update, was 218,700 hectares and still considered out of control.

Provincial Road 314 across Nopiming remains closed, and a mandatory evacuation order is still in place for the rest of the park beyond the southern areas that opened Wednesday, as well as for nearby Wallace Lake, South Atikaki and Manigotagang River.

Nancy Krebs said she feels lucky.

The lifelong Nopiming resident said she knew her place on Bird Lake was safe because the fire hadn't gotten across the water. But Krebs said she and her husband still wanted to return home quickly to see for themselves everything was fine.

"I've been here over 60 years. I don't see myself anywhere else, quite frankly," she said.

"It's my life. My childhood. I spent all summer here with my mom.… She'd bang pots to keep the bears away at night. It was very rustic, believe me. But it was fun."

Back in Booster Lake, Martin Enns said the return has put him at ease after some "very anxious moments."

He and his wife purchased their lot in 1981 and built their cabin "basically with our own hands," enjoying it with the rest of their family over the years.

"We were considering selling it at one point, but now all of a sudden you're faced with maybe losing it — wow. You don't want to sell it," he said. "You suddenly realize what you've got."

The province said the Tulabi Falls and Bird Lake campgrounds will remain closed until at least June 26. 

Find the latest wildfire information at these sources:

• Canadian wildfire map
• Province of Manitoba fire bulletins
• CBC's wildfire tracker
• Communities under evacuations in Manitoba

Are you an evacuee who needs assistance? Contact Manitoba 211 by calling 211 from anywhere in Manitoba or email 211mb@findhelp.ca.