Residents of another community in Manitoba are making preparations in case they have to leave their homes because of a forest fire.
While residents of Sherridon, Man., are still holed up in hotels while a large forest fire looms close enough to the town's outskirts to knock out it's power, residents of nearby Pukatawagan are making plans.
Chuck Sanderson, a spokesman with Manitoba's Emergency Measures Organization, said Saturday smoke is surrounding Pukatawagan in northwestern Manitoba, adding the community is on alert to move people out if necessary.
"People are making all the right moves, doing all the right pre-planning, getting things in place in the event that they have to go,'' Sanderson said. "At this point in time they're not, they're just seeing how things go.''
Officials have said the fire near Sherridon, which covers about seven square kilometres, has avoided the town for the most part _ but that could change.
Tom Mirus, a spokesman with the Manitoba Conservation Fire Program, said all it would take is a wind change for the blaze to shift south, back toward the heavily forested north end of the community. That's not the only problem the small hamlet is facing.
"It burned both hyrdro transmission lines coming into town from two different directions,'' Mirus said. "So there's no hyrdro in Sherridan right now.''
Sanderson said at their peak, the fires forced over 2,650 people from their homes. Overall, only about 660 people remain out of their homes across the province.
"That reduction is primarily due to the people going back to their homes in Norway House,'' Sanderson said.
Many of the 1900 people who left their homes on the Norway House reserve in north-central Manitoba were cleared to go home after firefighters got control of a nearby fire.
In eastern Manitoba, more than 600 people fled their homes in St. Theresa and Wasagamack. Mirus had some good news for those communities, saying the flames closest to the towns have been contained and seem to be moving in the other direction.
He said there have been 166 fires so far this year, above the 20 year average of 153, and much higher than the 88 Manitoba saw last year at this time.
With an incredibly dry spring and only the odd scattered shower in the forecast for Manitoba's north, Mirus noted that firefighters aren't getting much help from Mother Nature.
"We're very fortunate not to have any losses or injuries at this point,'' he said. "These have been extremely volatile fires. Very difficult.''
Residents of another community in Manitoba are making preparations in case they have to leave their homes because of a forest fire.
While residents of Sherridon, Man., are still holed up in hotels while a large forest fire looms close enough to the town's outskirts to knock out it's power, residents of nearby Pukatawagan are making plans.
Chuck Sanderson, a spokesman with Manitoba's Emergency Measures Organization, said Saturday smoke is surrounding Pukatawagan in northwestern Manitoba, adding the community is on alert to move people out if necessary.
"People are making all the right moves, doing all the right pre-planning, getting things in place in the event that they have to go,'' Sanderson said. "At this point in time they're not, they're just seeing how things go.''
Officials have said the fire near Sherridon, which covers about seven square kilometres, has avoided the town for the most part _ but that could change.
Tom Mirus, a spokesman with the Manitoba Conservation Fire Program, said all it would take is a wind change for the blaze to shift south, back toward the heavily forested north end of the community. That's not the only problem the small hamlet is facing.
"It burned both hyrdro transmission lines coming into town from two different directions,'' Mirus said. "So there's no hyrdro in Sherridan right now.''
Sanderson said at their peak, the fires forced over 2,650 people from their homes. Overall, only about 660 people remain out of their homes across the province.
"That reduction is primarily due to the people going back to their homes in Norway House,'' Sanderson said.
Many of the 1900 people who left their homes on the Norway House reserve in north-central Manitoba were cleared to go home after firefighters got control of a nearby fire.
In eastern Manitoba, more than 600 people fled their homes in St. Theresa and Wasagamack. Mirus had some good news for those communities, saying the flames closest to the towns have been contained and seem to be moving in the other direction.
He said there have been 166 fires so far this year, above the 20 year average of 153, and much higher than the 88 Manitoba saw last year at this time.
With an incredibly dry spring and only the odd scattered shower in the forecast for Manitoba's north, Mirus noted that firefighters aren't getting much help from Mother Nature.
"We're very fortunate not to have any losses or injuries at this point,'' he said. "These have been extremely volatile fires. Very difficult.''
Residents of another community in Manitoba are making preparations in case they have to leave their homes because of a forest fire.
While residents of Sherridon, Man., are still holed up in hotels while a large forest fire looms close enough to the town's outskirts to knock out it's power, residents of nearby Pukatawagan are making plans.
Chuck Sanderson, a spokesman with Manitoba's Emergency Measures Organization, said Saturday smoke is surrounding Pukatawagan in northwestern Manitoba, adding the community is on alert to move people out if necessary.
"People are making all the right moves, doing all the right pre-planning, getting things in place in the event that they have to go,'' Sanderson said. "At this point in time they're not, they're just seeing how things go.''
Officials have said the fire near Sherridon, which covers about seven square kilometres, has avoided the town for the most part _ but that could change.
Tom Mirus, a spokesman with the Manitoba Conservation Fire Program, said all it would take is a wind change for the blaze to shift south, back toward the heavily forested north end of the community. That's not the only problem the small hamlet is facing.
"It burned both hyrdro transmission lines coming into town from two different directions,'' Mirus said. "So there's no hyrdro in Sherridan right now.''
Sanderson said at their peak, the fires forced over 2,650 people from their homes. Overall, only about 660 people remain out of their homes across the province.
"That reduction is primarily due to the people going back to their homes in Norway House,'' Sanderson said.
Many of the 1900 people who left their homes on the Norway House reserve in north-central Manitoba were cleared to go home after firefighters got control of a nearby fire.
In eastern Manitoba, more than 600 people fled their homes in St. Theresa and Wasagamack. Mirus had some good news for those communities, saying the flames closest to the towns have been contained and seem to be moving in the other direction.
He said there have been 166 fires so far this year, above the 20 year average of 153, and much higher than the 88 Manitoba saw last year at this time.
With an incredibly dry spring and only the odd scattered shower in the forecast for Manitoba's north, Mirus noted that firefighters aren't getting much help from Mother Nature.
"We're very fortunate not to have any losses or injuries at this point,'' he said. "These have been extremely volatile fires. Very difficult.''
