Wildfires continue to burn in Manitoba, air quality statement issued in southeastern areas
As military and fire crews continue to battle wildfires burning across the province, smoke is being pushed across the province prompting Environment Canada to issue air quality statements.
As of Thursday, the Manitoba Wildfire Service said 150 fires are burning in the province, the largest of them burning near the Bloodvein First Nation.
The province said the fire started in June and has been burning for 31 days, growing to 234,500 hectares as of Thursday.
Another fire south of this one is currently burning out of control and is believed to be 78,735 hectares in size.
"We're seeing smoke from those fires that are east of Lake Winnipeg bringing smoke to Southern Manitoba," said Don Hallet, assistant director for the Manitoba Wildfire Service. "Plus, we're seeing smoke coming out of Northwestern Ontario, depending on which way the wind is shifting."
Hallet says this is one of the worst wildfire seasons he's experienced in the last twenty years, comparable to the summer of 1989, the worst on record.
Dry conditions are making it more difficult to fight the blazes
"What we're finding is these fires are burning very intense; therefore they're burning deeper into the ground," Hallet said. "So it takes a lot of energy for our firefighters to get that fire out as they progress along the fire line."
The Canadian Armed Forces said more than 100 soldiers have been deployed across the province to help with the fires.
"The clean-up work of these soldiers frees up the firefighters to battle the larger fires that are immediately threatening lives and livelihoods," a spokesperson for the military said in a statement.
The fires have wafted smoke across southern and eastern parts of the province – prompting Environment Canada to warn people to take precautions.
Air quality statements were issued Thursday for the majority of central and eastern Manitoba, including the City of Winnipeg.
"Northeasterly winds will push this smoke southwestward, spreading across much of southeastern Manitoba today, leading to poor air quality over southeastern areas of the province," the Environment Canada statement reads.
It said people living in the affected areas need to be aware of potential health concerns the smoke in the air is causing.
Manitobans are encouraged to limit their outdoor and strenuous physical activities, stay indoors or move to areas with cleaner air, turn off furnaces and air-conditioning units that pull smoke in from outdoors, and avoid smoking or burning materials indoors.
"If your job is to be outdoors, discuss with this your boss," said Natalie Hassell, Environment Canada warning preparedness meteorologist, "Find a way to get out of the heat or get out of the smoke."
Hassell added Manitobans should check the Environment Canada air quality index, even when it looks clear outside.
"There are times when there's haze in the air," she said, "But the air quality isn't actually that bad."
Hassell then said there are other times when it seems clear outside, "but the concentrations are actually a lot higher."
The City of Winnipeg is echoing the same concerns.
"This smoke, these particles, can affect our health and can have impacts on our respiratory system," said Jason Shaw, the City of Winnipeg's assistant chief for emergency preparedness. "It may provide problems for people with breathing difficulties."
Shaw said that Winnipeggers should expect smokier days in the future as the wildfire season continues and everyone should consistently check current air quality levels.
Environment Canada said southerly winds should push the smoke back to the north Thursday night.
A map of Manitoba's wildfires can be found online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'