May 23, 2016
Fire Bulletin #15
The Wildfire Program of Manitoba Sustainable Development advises that evacuation orders for Nora and Florence lakes have been lifted.
Fire crews continue to work on and next to roads near Florence and Nora lakes. Crews are also camped along the road. At times, fire crews may be removing hazardous trees which will cause them to block traffic for short periods of time.
Area residents are asked to travel in the area with caution. Bright-coloured clothing or safety vests are recommended so residents are visible to helicopters and crews.
Road conditions in the area have deteriorated since the evacuation was put in place. The recommended speed limit on area roads is 20 km/h.
Gates can be closed but not locked. Once fire crews are gone from the area, locking processes will resume.
Fires remain active on the Ontario side of the Beresford wildfire. Manitoba crews are installing additional fire suppression equipment on some remote structures on the Manitoba side of the fire.
Burning permits remain cancelled for the central and eastern regions of Manitoba. New burning permits will not be issued until conditions improve. Fires are permitted in approved fire pits.
Local municipalities may also implement burning bans or fire restrictions. Check with local municipal offices for information.
The Mantario trail remains closed.
Cottagers and area residents can call their local district Manitoba Sustainable Development offices to get up-to-date information about fires. Contact information for the eastern region can be found at www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/wildlife/about/eastern.html.
Manitoba Sustainable Development and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources continue co-operative suppression efforts on border area wildfires.
In Manitoba, a total of 74 wildfires have been recorded to date. The average for this date is 113.
For further general information on the fire status, maps, travel restrictions, burning permit cancellations or other restrictions go to www.gov.mb.ca/wildfire/ or follow the Twitter account at www.twitter.com/mbgovnews.
For information on road restrictions in northwest Ontario, call 1-888-258-8842 or for updates about the fire situation in northwestern Ontario visit www.ontario.ca/law-and-safety/forest-fires.
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.
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