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
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'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.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Competition bureau finds 'substantial' anti-competitive effects with proposed Bunge-Viterra merger
The proposed merger of agricultural giants Viterra and Bunge is raising competition concerns from the federal government.