A potential evacuation notice has been issued for cottagers in Nopiming Provincial Park. Residents in Booster Lake, Flanders Lake, and Bird Lake are advised to move as wildfire approaches.
On Sunday, Joanne Klassen and her family have watched a terrible fire in northwestern Ontario as it was approaching their cottage on Davidson Lake. A day later, people were forced to leave the lake because of a wildfire moving toward the area.
Klassen said that she saw the flames moving in on Sunday.
She added:
“So we didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”
On Monday, they have been ordered to leave the area and move to safety. Klassen, her daughter, her two young children and several dogs left the cottage a week earlier than anticipated. They loaded everything in four boats before moving to the mainland. She said:
“There are a lot of memories. Whatever’s left behind now is just stuff…. We’re all safe and that’s what matters.”
The spokesperson said that about 50 cottages were evacuated in the area. Since those are seasonal properties, the exact number of evacuated people is still not yet known.
Nopiming Provincial Provincial Park is about 200 kilometers northeast of Winnipeg. It is situated near the Ontario border. So far, there are currently 154 wildfires burning in the province.