Wildfires in Winnipeg are keeping fire fighters on their toes as they’ve had to battle several significant blazes over the weekend and into Monday.
Around 12:30 p.m. Monday, a brush fire in Charleswood at Caron Park spread to the property line of two homes.
Doug Devriendt came home to the smell of smoke, went to the back yard, and quickly learned the wildfire moved right up to the edge of the property.
"If the wind changed or something happened it could easily start a fire in my house which is scary, said Devriendt.
In Transcona a plant container caught fire at the front of a home around noon.
Crystal Lodder saw the fire and immediately called 911.
“Very scary, I’m still shaking a little,” she said from her home next door. “It looked like they had raw cedar wood planter on the steps and it was just totally in flames."
A woman living at the house said she threw the planter away from the house and hurt her hand.
The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service said Monday the fires over the past two weeks have been unprecedented.
It said the tinder dry conditions are making it tough for crews to keep up, especially when there are multiple fires in the city at the same time.
“I've never seen anything like this,” said deputy chief Tom Wallace. “It's a significant drain on our resources and because these incidents are so dynamic it's challenging."
WFPS TO MEET WITH CN RAIL
Wallace said the causes of the fires have not been determined, but on Sunday WFPS noticed a pattern when a train passed through the city, and is meeting with CN Rail on Wednesday.
He said there was a fire that started in St. Boniface, followed by one at The Forks, Kenaston Underpass and two more along Wilkes Avenue.
In a statement to CTV News, CN Rail said Monday when there is a report of a brush fire along the tracks. The company said they inspected equipment and reviewed train movements to determine if any mechanical issues can be identified as a potential cause of the fire.
“In this case and at this time, we have not identified any specific mechanical issues that would have sparked a fire. CN will continue to investigate equipment and trains movements. Also, CN has issued a bulletin to operating crews reminding them on the proper procedures for fire mitigation.”
WEEKEND WILDFIRES
According to a City of Winnipeg news release, fire crews responded to multiple fires on Sunday, including five over the weekend.
One of the most significant fires was along Wilkes Avenue. It started around 3 p.m.
The city said there was a large grass fire along the rail line, which extended from Kenaston Boulevard to the Perimeter Highway. No one was hurt, but several hydro poles, a fence and building materials were damaged.
Staff at Shaftesbury Park Retirement Residence told CTV News Sunday a fence burned nearby, but no evacuations took place because the fire was extinguished.
The city said the cause is under investigation.
Around 10:45 p.m., crews responded to a wildland fire in the area of the Transcona Bioreserve. Crews aided Winnipeg Police general patrol members, as well as Winnipeg Police’s Air-1 to aerially locate hotspots.
Earlier in the day around 3 p.m., crews also responded to a grass fire in the area of Fort Gibraltar in St. Boniface.
On Friday around 11:15 p.m., fire crews and Winnipeg police responded to a brush fire behind a store in the 1500 block of Regent Avenue West. Two men were located in the field suffering from significant burns. They were transported to hospital, but succumbed to their injuries and died. Police are investigating.
The same evening, shortly after 8 p.m., crews responded to a fire southwest on Charleswood Road and found multiple spot fires including one in a farmer’s field.
FIRE SAFETY AND REMINDERS
The City of Winnipeg said a fire ban remains in place and will be lifted when environmental conditions improve.
“Please note that all open-air fires are temporarily prohibited due to the extreme dry weather conditions in the Winnipeg area which increases the risk of dangerous fires, such as grass, brush, and wildfires,” a release said.
“WFPS and WPS encourage all residents to be safe and also active in reporting suspicious or irresponsible behaviour by phoning 911.”
“Do not approach active fire incidents – it is dangerous to do so, and you put yourself at great risk as conditions can rapidly change.”
To help keep your home safe, the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic service said people should clean their gutters, remove combustibles from around property and be extra careful with smoking materials.
