Last week, Thompsonites were reminded that they are not immune from the threat of wildfires after a blaze in the brush near Eastwood almost prompted an evacuation of nearby residents.
Even though Thompson Fire & Emergency Services (TFES) were alerted to this fire at midnight May 24, the situation grew considerably worse by 1:30 a.m. and the RCMP began informing people in the immediate area that they should prepare to leave their homes at a moment’s notice.
“It was scary because I didn’t know what to grab,” said Kassandra McKay, an Eastwood resident and mother of two. “I immediately went and got my tenant’s insurance. I didn’t realize how serious that was to have.”
Eventually, thanks in part to some helicopter support from Manitoba Hydro, fire crews were able to get this blaze under control by 1:30 p.m. However, deputy fire chief Mike Bourgon said they were only able to contain this situation because of the calm winds that permeated the rest of the day.
“If we had winds like we experienced last week, we could be looking at a much more grave situation,” he said in May 24 statement from the city.
Bourgon told the Thompson Citizen a person or people caused the fire, and that Thompsonites should remain cautious now that conditions have gotten even worse.
“The conditions are still dry, so it could happen again,” he said. “If you’re going to go hiking on the Millennium Trail, please don’t flick your smokes into the forest or the bush. Don’t be playing with fire. Don’t be having any open fires out in that area. Again, teach your kids about playing with fire.”
This close call in Eastwood isn’t the only recent incident to threaten Thompson residents, since they’ve had to contend with a string of man-made fires throughout the previous week.
Bourgon said TFES has responded to 17 grass fires alone since May 20, which doesn’t include a larger dumpster fire that took place in the evening prior to the Eastwood wildfire.
“It’s absolutely not normal and we need to put an end to it,” said Bourgon. “We need to let people know the dangers of what’s going on in the community right now.”
Who lit these fires is unknown, but many residents believe children and youth are responsible.
McKay said she’s had several run-ins with a group of youths between the ages of nine and 16, in the days following the May 24 blaze.
Because of all the recent fires and bouts of petty vandalism, McKay said she doesn’t feel safe and is actually considering investing in a fence and security cameras for her property.
McKay also echoed a lot of the sentiments being expressed on Facebook groups like Thompson Talk by saying that the community needs to come up with a proactive solution to fixing this problem.
“I feel that our community should come together and find ways to help these children,” she said. “A lot of them aren’t being raised properly or getting the attention they need, positive attention. So they should be made to do some community service or the community should be more involved with them.”
Local artist Jasyn Lucas chimed in on this subject through a May 26 video on his Facebook page, saying that the larger problem stems from how many members of the community are internalizing the idea that Thompson is a less than desirable place to live.
“This area is so … rich and so fragile that we kind of take it for granted, and then that attitude gets passed on to our youth and we’re wondering why they’re bored and starting fires,” he said. “We need to engage our kids and let them know that … they have something to do, something to be proud of and something to look after.”
While McKay says some concerned citizens are trying to start another community watch group, residents should still call TFES at 204-677-7911 if they spot a potential fire hazard within the community.
“We’ve only been fortunate that we have never experienced a full-scale emergency,” said Bourgon. “But the reality is, wildfires are easily one of the largest threats to our infrastructures, our homes, and our lifestyle. We absolutely cannot tolerate this kind of carelessness.”
