The Wildfire Program of Manitoba Sustainable Development advises that conditions on the fire near Beresford Lake have worsened and a mandatory evacuation of the Beresford cottage subdivision of Nopiming Provincial Park continues.
The fire east of Beresford Lake, near the Manitoba/Ontario border, currently covers approximately 13,000 hectares (ha) while the fire six kilometres northeast of Caddy Lake, on the Manitoba/Ontario border, is approximately 700 ha.
At this time, nine water bombers from Manitoba and Ontario continue to work the fires. Currently, 25 people have been evacuated from 10 of the 75 cottages in subdivisions at Beresford Lake. An additional six people from two remote cottages were evacuated from the area. Sprinkler kits are being put in place to help protect cottages.
Burning permits for the eastern, central and western areas of the province remain cancelled and motorized backcountry travel is banned between noon and 7 p.m. daily in southeast Manitoba. The expanded boundary of the restricted area is from PR 302 east to the Ontario border and from the U.S. border north to Lake Winnipeg and now extending north to the Wanipigow River.
In Whiteshell Provincial Park, the Hunt Lake, Mantario and McGillivray Falls hiking trails are closed until wildfire conditions improve. For additional information on restrictions in eastern Manitoba, contact the eastern region office at 204-345-1444.
For information on restrictions in Ontario call 1-807-548-1919.
To report a wildfire, call 911 or the T.I.P. line (toll-free) at 1-800-782-0076. The T.I.P. line is dedicated for reporting fires only. All other inquiries should be made with the other phone lines noted above.
For further general information on the fire situation or current restrictions go to www.manitoba.ca/wildfire.
