Thompson renewing state of emergency amid ongoing wildfires

A trio of wildfires continue to burn out of control near Thompson, keeping fire crews busy.

The City of Thompson is planning to renew its state of emergency for another 30 days due to the ongoing wildfire situation.

A post on the city’s website says council plans to vote on a resolution to extend the state of emergency, which has been in effect since July 7.

The city’s most recent update following infrared scanning shows three fires near the community, with multiple hot spots of concern being identified near one fire, identified as NO061, by Manitoba. As of Tuesday, the fire is 14 kilometres from Thompson, 18,365 hectares in size, and out of control.

“With clear skies, relative humidity will drop through the rest of the week and increased fire behaviour is expected,” the city said in its post, noting the temperature is expected to hit 30 C by Friday.

The city said crews from Quebec have been helping address hot spots, and another crew will be joining the wildfire fight on Wednesday.