Belair wildfire under control, Camperville blaze ‘tapering off’

By Bill Redekop
Winnipeg Free Press
October 18, 2017
Category: Forestry
Region: Canada, Canada West

Local and provincial firefighters battled at least five major blazes in the southern half of Manitoba on Wednesday. However, at least two potentially dangerous wildfires fanned by winds gusting up to 80 km/h were reporting happy endings by late Wednesday afternoon. In Belair Provincial Forest, fire charred about 15 acres of forest before crews brought it under control. “It’s basically a matter of putting out hot spots and embers now,” said Mark Sinclair, chief of the East Beaches Fire and Rescue, late Wednesday afternoon. “Considering the winds we had, everything worked out really well.” On the west side of the province, fire threatened the town of Camperville, on the southwest shore of Lake Winnipegosis, all day Wednesday. “It looks like it’s tapering off,” said an official at the town office, who was interviewed late Wednesday afternoon. However, the strong winds made everyone cautious about declaring victory too soon.

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