Officials monitoring fire that’s been burning for days near Manitoba community

A fire that's been burning since March 21, 2024 near Ostenfeld, Man. is shown in an undated image.

A fire that’s been burning for days near a Manitoba hamlet is not considered a threat to residents or property, officials say.

RM of Springfield Fire Chief Brian Seaton said a fire broke out sometime Thursday in the swamp and bulrushes near Ostenfeld, Man., a hamlet about 20 kilometres southeast of Anola.

He said officials from the RMs of Springfield and Tache are monitoring it, as the blaze is slowly starting to veer into that municipality.

Still, he said the fire is miles away from people and properties, and is not considered a threat at this time.

“It just seems to be traveling on its own. With the wind (Saturday), I was concerned about it just because of the high winds, but it seems to be pushing in the right direction, so we got lucky with that,” he said in an interview with CTV News Winnipeg on Sunday.

An ongoing wildfire near Ostenfeld, Man. is shown in an undated image.

Historically, Seaton noted fires are known to break out in this area every few years amid very dry conditions, usually in April or May.

There are no crews on scene right now, as the fire is difficult to access because of the swampy terrain.

The plan is to monitor and hopefully, let it burn itself out.

“We’ve got a few eyes on it,” Seaton said.

“Right now, we're playing the wind, and hopefully it plays in the right direction.”

- With files from CTV’s Alexandra Holyk