Even though strikes of lightening continue to ignite wildfires across Manitoba, provincial authorities maintain that Thompson residents are safe.
“There are fires, but they’re quite a ways from Thompson,” said Gary Friesen, the manager of the wildfire program from Manitoba Sustainable Development.
A quick look at Sustainable Development’s real-time FireView map will confirm that fires classified as “out of control” are only a cause for concern for communities like Oxford House, Gods Lake, and Flin Flon.
And that’s not to mention the individual wildfires that are ravaging other provinces, like in British Columbia where, as of Aug. 14, some have grown to over 190,000 hectares in size.
However, smoke from some of these distant fires is still making its way inside Thompson city limits. Throughout the last two weeks, a noticeable haze and “campfire smell” has enveloped the city and brought on a distinctive change in air quality.
“We’ve got three areas that are contributing to the smoke haze in or around the community,” said Friesen. “The air-flow is coming from the west, so you’ve got British Columbia fires, fires in the Northwest Territories, as well as fires in or around northwestern Manitoba.”
According to the website aqicn.org, which uses a variant on the American measurement system, the air quality index in Thompson hovered around 155 on Wednesday morning. This means that while the general public might not be affected, members of sensitive groups may experience some serious negative health effects as a result of this haze.
As such, if you are suffering from a heart or lung condition, including asthma, the Manitoba Public Health website suggests you should carry a week’s supply of medication with you at all times.
Elsewhere in the province, concerns about smoke from distant wildfires prompted at least 285 individuals to evacuate from Poplar River on Aug. 11 and relocate to Winnipeg. According to the Red Cross, who helped facilitate this evacuation, they expect that 350 more residents will leave this First Nations community.
“It is unfortunate that members of Poplar River have been forced to flee their homes due to a wildfire,” said Red Cross representative Cailin Hodder in an Aug. 11 press release. “But our team, working closely with First Nations leadership and the federal government, has been able to quickly begin the effort of supporting them, to help reduce as much stress as possible.”
According to Sustainable Development, as of Aug. 16 around 393 fires been reported in this year alone. All active fires are currently being fought by 18 helicopters, six waterbombers, and 228 extra firefighters.
To view the current Manitoba forest fire situation in real time, please consult with the FireView map on the provincial government’s website.
