Piney wildfire inches closer to cottage communities

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Conditions improving in some parts of Manitoba

Views from the wildfire near Piney

Views from the wildfire near Piney

Scattered showers have helped to shrink one of the wildfires threatening a number of Manitoba communities, but it is still not enough to lift evacuation orders.

The RM of Piney released an update Thursday, noting the fire was estimated to be just under 8,000 hectares.

On Thursday morning, it was 3.5 kilometres away from the townsite in Woodridge and just over one kilometre from Badger, the RM wrote.

“Heavy machinery and helicopter buckets are working non-stop building fire guards in the areas Manitoba Wildfire Services feels are necessary,” the post said.

The good news—the region had some rain overnight, which helped to modestly shrink the wildfire’s scope.

“It’s a sprinkling and it’s very scattered showers—like one or two millimetres, and what we need is like 25 millimetres,” RM of Piney Reeve Wayne Anderson told CTV News Winnipeg.

Two structures, a home and a garage, were previously confirmed to have been destroyed. Anderson said another structure is suspected to have burned as well.

So far, hundreds of people have registered at the reception centre set up at the Piney Community Centre, but Anderson said they still don’t have a full picture of how many people were displaced.

He urged all evacuees to register so they can get an accurate headcount and connect them with resources.

Staff and volunteers are also on-site offering food and refreshments to evacuees. Anyone who needs a place to stay can stay the night, Anderson said.

The province has also set up lodging for evacuees at a number of hotels. Details can be found on the RM’s Facebook page.

With more rain in the forecast, Anderson hopes some relief is on the horizon.

“We’re hanging in there. We’re at the emergency operation centre from early morning till late night.”