Whiteshell Provincial Park closing due to extreme fire conditions

CBC News

· Posted: May 14, 2025 7:26 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Whiteshell Provincial Park volition adjacent to the nationalist connected Thursday arsenic firefighters enactment to power a wildfire that forced evacuations successful the southeastern Manitoba country earlier this week. 

In a Wednesday quality release, the state said entree to the parkland volition beryllium restricted starting astatine 9 a.m. connected Thursday, and continuing until astatine slightest May 21. 

The closure is expected to stay successful effect until the utmost occurrence conditions improve.

On Thursday morning, entree volition beryllium restricted to cottage subdivisions and campgrounds, on with commercial, radical and day use areas. Recreational areas including trails, beaches, backcountry areas, canoe routes and campsites volition besides beryllium nether the restricted access.

All parkland users, including full-time residents and cottagers, indispensable permission the parkland by 1 p.m. Thursday, the state said. 

It's asking full-time residents to registry with Manitoba Parks unit astatine their nearest reception centre: Whiteshell Community Club, Rennie Community Club oregon Eastman Snopals Garage. 

Any imperishable residents who can't registry successful idiosyncratic tin telephone 204-340-6769. 

Cottagers and campers are not required to register. 

Anyone with reservations implicit this period, which includes the Victoria Day agelong weekend, volition beryllium contacted by the parks preservation service, the state said.

Cottagers fled the country Tuesday aft the state issued an evacuation bid owed to the out-of-control wildfire on the Ontario border, adjacent Ingolf. As of Thursday afternoon, that occurrence had grown to much than 23,000 hectares, according to the state of Ontario's occurrence map.

The state of Manitoba told CBC News Wednesday that Highway 1 remains unfastened successful the area.

Previously announced closures stay successful effect for Nopiming, Pinawa Dam, Poplar Bay, Wallace Lake, South Atikaki and Manigotagan River provincial parks owed to section states of emergency, the state said. These parks volition besides stay closed until conditions improve.

Updates connected the closures and accusation on fire restrictions successful provincial parks tin beryllium recovered connected the province's website.