Wild fires broke out in cropland areas of Manitoba today, joining a number that were already burning in forests.
Manitoba government officials are trying to prevent more by banning fires in parks and on stubble.
As of mid-day, parts of the town of Stuartburn in southeastern Manitoba were being evacuated, a school in nearby Vita was closed and farmers and rural residents were anxiously watching smoke and flames move through their area.
The big fire near Stuartburn was said to be one and a half kilometers wide by three km long. Other large fires, many times that size, were raging on the east side of Lake Winnipeg and in Riding Mountain National Park.
Winds of up to 90 km/h are fanning the flames and are expected to continue into early tomorrow.
Dry weather and record heat for October has created tinder-dry conditions in the stubble, leaves, grass and trees of southern Manitoba.
The cause of the Stuartburn fire is not yet known. The one on the east side of Lake Winnipeg was caused by lightning, officials said.
The one in Riding Mountain was likely caused by embers from a September prescribed burn. It had ended but was then reignited by strong winds, park officials said.
The smell of fire hung over Winnipeg for days, but became intense this morning. The sky was hazy with smoke diluted in the 70 km between the fires and the city.
Fall often brings a conflict between city people who have medical problems, such as asthma, that are exacerbated by stubble-burning, and farmers who believe they need to burn heavy straw so that the soil can dry out and the land worked the following spring.
These particular fires did not appear to be caused by that sort of burning, but in past years out-of-control stubble burning has led to calls for the practice to be banned. Cars have crashed and people have been injured within the Winnipeg city limits because of stubble fires, and many rural highways have been closed.
The provincial government requires farmers to apply for licenses to burn crop residue, with licenses being issued for specific days when winds are low.
