More Lac du Bonnet residents return home following wildfire evacuation

A burning ban warning sign is seen in the Rural Municipality of Lac du Bonnet, Man. on Thursday, May 15, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Steve Lambert

More residents in the rural municipality of Lac du Bonnet were given the go-ahead to head home late Monday afternoon after wildfire forced them to leave their homes last week.

According to the RM of Lac du Bonnet’s website, the evacuation order for people living in the Cape Coppermine area from Widgeon Row to George Carteret Way was lifted at 4 p.m.

This comes after around 150 residents living south of provincial road 313 between Urban Road and Belluk Road were allowed to return Sunday.

“Wildfire Services came back to us and say they were comfortable opening that area to our evacuees,” Loren Schinkel, the RM of Lac du Bonnet reeve, told CTV News.

He said there are still hundreds of people displaced by a wildfire that tore through the region last week. On Monday afternoon, the provincial fire map indicates the blaze’s status changed from ‘out-of-control’ to ‘being held’.

“Wildfire Services has told us they’re optimistic and they’re doing their due diligence to check with frontline people before they provide us with further direction,” Schinkel said.

Schinkel added that some restrictions in the Wendigo Road area were also lifted as of 10 a.m. Monday.

The rural municipality’s website indicates crews are still working in the area north of provincial road 313. Schinkel said they’re focused on putting out peat moss fires.

“Once [fire] gets down into that peat moss, it’s difficult to extinguish. There were excavators in there working aggressively,” he explained. “There was a helicopter with a bucket all day there yesterday.”

Schinkel hopes more people are allowed to return home in the coming days as fire crews and Manitoba Hydro workers continue work in the region.

“We’re still grieving in our community, and we’re working our way through a process here, but we have a strong team, a strong plan in place,” he said. ”It’s all surrounding the safety of our residents and getting everybody back into their homes.”