In the midst of an extremely dry spring, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service responded to five grass and brush across Winnipeg on Tuesday alone.
According to a news release, the fires took place throughout the day and at various locations:
- Waverley Street and Taylor Avenue. It happened around 8 a.m.
- A tree in the area of Huddersfield Place at 5:50 p.m.
- Laxdal Road and Grant Avenue. The grass fire took place around 6: 40 p.m.
- In a ditch in the 1300 block of Balgona Road at 7:45 p.m.
- Provencher Boulevard and Nadeau Street. It happened at 11 p.m.
There were no injuries, no damage to structures and no evacuations in any of the fires. For all five, the cause remains under investigation.
All open-air fires are temporarily prohibited because of the dry weather that Winnipeg is experiencing. The ban will be lifted once weather conditions improve, according to the news release.
“We would like to remind residents that the temporary open-air fire ban is still in effect, and urge residents not to start open-air fires unless using an outdoor natural gas appliance such as a barbecue,” said Tom Wallace, deputy chief of support services, WFPS.
“Forecasted strong winds today increase the risk of wildland fires, as the wind can carry embers to different locations and create additional hotspots.”
Between Jan. 1, 2018 and May 8, 2018, the WFPS have responded to 55 grass and brush fires. In 2017 they responded to 85 the entire year.
