Provincewide burn ban being considered

A province-wide burn ban just days prior to the May long weekend is possible, said Kevin Groff, fire prevention officer with Brandon Fire and Emergency Services.

Brandon has had one millimetre of rain since the start of May. That pales in comparison to the average rain fall amount for May, which is 55.5 millimetres.

"We have had a little tiny bit of rain in Brandon but hardly any. It’s really, really dry," said Natalie Hasell, a warning and preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada.

A spokesperson with the provincial government said that a provincewide burn ban could be coming in the near future.

"That’s possible, that’s one of the things they’re looking at," the spokesperson said.

The government of Manitoba stated in a fire update report on Tuesday that burning permits in eastern, central, and parts of western Manitoba have been cancelled.

If a provincewide burn ban was instituted it would prevent people from having fires across Manitoba including in the City of Brandon and at Riding Mountain National Park. Safety is a priority and with the current weather conditions Groff said it doesn’t take much for a fire to get out of hand.

"It’s a real concern for us, as you know today with the wind picking up it just takes one little spark and the next thing you know you’ve got a whole field on fire," he said.

There have been several fires across the province recently.

On May 12, a fire destroyed a shed and a car at a retirement home in Brandon.

On May 7, firefighters from the RM of Whitehead battle a stubborn grass fire west of Brandon just south of Highway 1A. A few small buildings were burned in the fire.

Earlier in the month a brush fire killed two brothers from a northern Cree community in Winnipeg. The two men were found in the field suffering significant burns, and they later died from their injuries in hospital.

And on April 26, Brandon Fire and Emergency Services members battle a grass fire just north of Willowdale Avenue near the train tracks west of 26th Street in Brandon. Wind played a factor in the veracity of the blaze.

The province is overdue for a rainfall.

A provincial ban would end all fires, regardless if people were using approved fire-burning appliances or not.

The drought represents conditions that Groft hasn’t seen before.

"We usually get some kind of precipitation that kind of wets things down and at least greens things up a bit, but in all the years I’ve been involved with the fire department I’ve never seen anything like this," he said.

Anyone caught violating a potential ban could be subject to a fine.

At the moment, those people still choosing to have fires should use extreme caution, Groff said.

"They should have some kind of extinguishing agent like an example being water right there very handy."

According to the fire update report, crews continue to battle existing and new fires in parts of central and eastern Manitoba.

For open fire safety tips you can visit brandonfire.ca.

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