CFB Shilo fire evacuees allowed home

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This article was published 20/05/2021 (1703 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Evacuees from near Carberry were allowed to return home on Wednesday as the fire that forced them from their houses in the dead of night on Tuesday was deemed under control.

A total of 34 people from 18 households were evacuated after midnight on Tuesday after an out-of-control grassfire at Canadian Forces Base Shilo’s training area and range spewed heavy smoke and soot into the surrounding area.

The Town of Carberry and Municipality of North Cypress-Langford announced in a Facebook post on Wednesday the fire had been declared under control and evacuees could return.

CFB Shilo public affairs officer Lori Truscott said the fire was still burning Wednesday, but firefighting efforts were able to control its spread and protect houses.

Firefighters had favourable winds and were able to do a “back burn” — where the area around the fire is purposely burned to eliminate fuel. As a result, the fire in the Assiniboine Corridor Wildlife Area has nearly been extinguished.

“People in that area might have seen a lot of smoke and thought it flared up again, but it was actually a back burn,” she said.

Rain early Wednesday morning and cooler temperatures helped the fire situation, but wasn’t enough to completely extinguish it, Truscott said.

Currently, the fire is not spreading after days of firefighting efforts and runs by water bombers on Tuesday morning. It is still burning in the Douglas Marsh and lightly forested area of the Shilo range and training area, Truscott said.

While the fire is still burning in the Douglas Marsh, Nature Conservancy of Canada natural area manager Josh Dillabough said it’s still too early to say whether it’s a positive or a negative for the area.

“As with most fires, it really depends. If we see high-intensity fires like some wildfires, it can do damage. However, the North American ecosystems and ecosystems we have in Manitoba are disturbance-based systems, and not all fire is a bad thing,” he said.

The marsh is an important area for birds to nest in and habitats for other wildlife. Dillabough said it has one of the highest concentration of yellow rails in the country. Yellow Rails prefer shorter vegetation to nest in — something the fire could help with.

“It has the potential to do good things. It really comes down to the intensity of the fire. Birds can fly so they can move out of the way as the fire comes along,” he said.

The fire also burned in areas that are home to the prairie skink, one of Canada’s only lizard species, Dillabough said. The lizard can burrow underground to avoid the flames, so the impact to them could be limited.

“(Fires) are not necessarily a bad thing. It really depends on the level of intensity we see afterwards … we are concerned, but at the same time these species have evolved on this landscape with fire and they have the ability to seek shelter,” he said.

Truscott said the majority of soldiers stationed at the base are either in Alberta for training or serving in northern Manitoba, so local training activities haven’t been affected by the fire within the base’s territory.

A final survey of the area will be completed once vehicles can enter the burned area, she said.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Town of Carberry and Municipality of North Cypress-Langford announced the local emergency operations centre was put into standby mode.

Premier Brian Pallister and Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler were also in the Carberry area on Wednesday afternoon to get an on-site update on the wildfire, the premier’s press secretary confirmed. Pallister also met with local officials.

The fire began last week after a lightning strike started the blaze. Firefighters from Shilo, Oakland-Wawanesa, Carberry, North Cypress-Langford and other Westman towns were involved in the effort to put it out.

The risk of wildfires remains high after weeks of dry conditions and recent hot temperatures, but rain is forecasted in the coming days.

According to the province, there is still the potential of smoke in Spruce Woods Provincial Park and Swan Lake First Nation. The Spirit Sands Trails are still closed and hikers are asked to avoid the area.

The municipality also reopened Highway 5 between Carberry and Glenboro on Wednesday morning.

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