Crews work to contain northern Manitoba wildfires

Firefighters are desperately trying to save the town of Leaf Rapids as wildfires engulf the community. CTV’s Alex Karpa has more on the situation.

Firefighters continued their efforts over the weekend to contain wildfires threatening a pair of northern Manitoba communities.

In a Facebook post, the City of Thompson said crews are focused on the eastern flank of the fire closest to the city. Once that work is wrapped up, they will move to the southern edge.

According to the post, two additional fires started on Saturday, including one north of the fire that entered Leaf Rapids. The city noted that this fire is only two hectares in size and firefighters are confident they can contain it.

Temperatures in Thompson are expected to reach about 19 C on Monday, with a chance of showers for the first part of the week.

According to the Town of Leaf Rapids, the fire moved easterly and crossed the highway at the north end of the airport.

It added that bulldozers are working to secure a dozer line to the south and north of town, while a roving fire engine continues to put out hotspots.

Power has been restored to the firehall, RCMP station and Co-op Fuel cardlock, which is back in operation.

According to the latest provincial data, the fire closest to Thompson is 18,365 hectares in size, while the fire threatening Leaf Rapids is 8,000 hectares. Both wildfires remain out of control.