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
Appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.