Police say they’ve recovered the bodies of a man and a woman who were trapped as a wildfire burned near the community of Lac du Bonnet in southeastern Manitoba.
Manitoba RCMP officers recovered the bodies Wednesday morning just off Wendigo Road in the rural municipality of Lac du Bonnet, about 100 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.
It’s believed they died from injuries sustained in the fire, Supt. Chris Hastie, commander of Manitoba RCMP’s East District, said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
“This has been an incredibly challenging time for the community, and no doubt today’s tragic news will make it even more difficult,” Hastie said.
He said RCMP got a report Tuesday that there were people stranded by the fire in the area, but because of extreme fire conditions first responders were unable to reach them until Wednesday morning.
When officers got there, “we were able to confirm our worst fears,” he said, adding police can’t confirm the victims’ identities until their autopsies are done.
Hastie said there are no additional reports of unaccounted people related to the wildfire in the area.
He asked residents to avoid the active fire area and let crews do their work, and said drone activity in the region had already resulted in some firefighting aircraft being grounded.
Hundreds have already been forced out of the cottage country community in eastern Manitoba, as a raging out-of-control wildfire near Lac du Bonnet quickly grew in intensity through the late afternoon and evening Tuesday.
There was a significant loss of structures around the community’s Wendigo Beach area, RM of Lac du Bonnet Reeve Loren Schinkel said Wednesday morning.
The province’s online fire map lists a number of other wildfires burning across Manitoba, including several listed as out of control.
