Crews keep battling deadly, out-of-control wildfires in eastern Manitoba

Still battling deadly wildfires

Photo: The Canadian Press

A member of the Manitoba Wildfire Program crosses a stream with a new hose on his back as fire crews continue to fight wildfires around Lac du Bonnet, Man., Thursday, May 15, 2025.

Fire crews in Manitoba continue to battle out-of-control wildfires including one in the eastern part of the province which has killed two people.

In the Manitoba legislature on Thursday, opposition Progressive Conservative legislature member Rick Wowchuk named the victims as Richard and Sue Nowell, who lived in the Rural Municipality of Lac Du Bonnet.

The bodies were found on Wednesday.

The wildfire burning in the municipality, a popular cottage area northeast of Winnipeg, was over four-thousand hectares in size as of midnight Friday.

Wildfires in eastern Manitoba have also forced the province to declare a state of emergency in Whiteshell Provincial Park, and gave people until Thursday evening to evacuate.

The Alberta government says it is sending help to Manitoba to battle the wildfires, with two wildland firefighting crews and support staff expected in the coming days.