Many residents and cottagers in Lac du Bonnet, Man., are returning to the area to assess the damage and begin cleaning up the rubble, after a raging wildfire tore through the area two weeks ago.
The more than 4,000-hectare wildfire destroyed dozens of properties, scarred the landscape beyond recognition, and took the lives of two people who were unable to flee the flames.
The area is barely recognizable to Ron Burley, who has lived in Lac du Bonnet for the past nine years.
“It looks like a war zone,” Burley told Global News. “There were trees and it was lush, there was privacy. You couldn’t see the lake. It was kind of nice; now, everything is just burnt and you’re seeing hills of granite that I never knew were there.”
Dozens of properties on Wendigo Road were destroyed by wildfire.
Josh Arason / Global News
Burley’s home was spared from the wildfire, but it came close.
“I was told it was about another 20 minutes and our area would have been gone,” he said.
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He says the loss of homes and cottages in the area has meant a tough and emotional time for many families.
“There’s history with those cottages,” Burley said. “Whether it’s five years, one year, or, in most of the cases with those cottages, it’s 40 years or longer. It’s not about it being a recreational property. It’s about people’s stories, their lives.”
Burley himself had a harrowing escape from the wildfire, quickly finding himself surrounded by flames on the only road out. He says that experience was like staring death in the face, and is something he never wants to go through again.
Ron Burley nearly got lost in the flames while trying to escape the wildfire in Lac du Bonnet two weeks ago.
Josh Arason / Global News
“I had to drive into a fire to get out of a fire,” he said.
“It quickly became very clear we were sitting in a death trap. We were living in a death trap with only one way out.”
Burley says he’s now thinking of the thousands fleeing their homes in northern Manitoba, and has one message for them.
“I made the mistake of grabbing stuff thinking I had time and grabbing materialistic things. Well, it almost cost me my life,” Burley said. “I hope they are not making those same decisions and that they’re just getting out.
“It happens so fast. When they tell you to get out, you gotta go. You just gotta go.”
Residents say much of Wendigo Road in Lac du Bonnet is now unrecognizable.
Josh Arason / Global News
Lorne Schinkel, the reeve of the Rural Municipality of Lac du Bonnet, says insurance companies are on the ground in the area assessing the damage.
He also says while the wildfire is now under control, crews are still in the area as tinder dry conditions have allowed for some flareups.
“We know there’s still approximately 20 fire attack personnel working on that fire, as well as helicopter buckets being applied to different hotspots,” Schinkel said.
“I am aware that there was a flareup the other night that resulted in the fire department being called out again, and this will continue for some period of time. So everyone has to be very vigilant in the community.”
Schinkel is also urging people to heed fire bans in the area.
“At the end of the day, it’s still a very dangerous situation out there.”
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Manitoba residents, cottagers assess wildfire damage in Lac du Bonnet
