Weather helps with wildfire fight in Manitoba

CTV’s Jon Hendricks has the latest on Manitoba’s wildfire situation and how the province is preparing for more potential evacuees.

Manitoba government officials said cooler temperatures and precipitation have helped crews battle a wildfire threatening the largest city in the province’s north.

 Kristin Hayward, assistant deputy minister with Manitoba Wildfire Service, said cooler temperatures have assisted in the fight against the fire near Thompson, which has grown to 16,370 hectares in size.

 “We’re quite confident in the protections that we put in place between the fire and the City of Thompson,” she said. “Of course, there is always an unknown. The weather can create different situations, but for what we’ve done to date, we feel good.”

Thompson has asked residents to fill out a pre-evacuation form starting Friday in case they need to evacuate, noting Monday that 11,000 people have completed the form. Sprinklers are also being set up outside homes.

 Christine Stevens, assistant deputy minister with the province’s emergency management organization, said if an evacuation was announced for Thompson, many would come to Winnipeg first before moving to other communities.

 “We do have plans in place for where folks would go,” Stevens said.

 Over 12,000 people have evacuated due to fires in Manitoba, she said.

 There are 122 active wildfires burning in Manitoba as of Monday, and there have been 297 fires in the province to date in 2025, Hayward said. There are 248 personnel from outside Manitoba helping battle the fires.