Local church thanks firefighters for saving camp

Southland Church is thanking fire crews for saving their Bible camp in Bird River.

In a statement, the church said NASA Satellite imagery showed the camp was surrounded by the fire. The church was closely monitoring the camp through their security camera system, where they watched as the fire “passed dangerously close—right near the camp’s perimeter.”

“Thanks be to God, because of the coordinated efforts of emergency personnel, it did not breach the site. We are so grateful for how God has been answering our prayers,” read the statement on Friday.

In an update on Wednesday, the church said the fire has been difficult to battle due to hot spots, heavy smoke, and poor visibility. At this time, the fire is burning primarily to the south and east of the camp.

“We continue to pray for the protection of the camp, the surrounding cottages, and the firefighters working tirelessly on the front lines.”

The RM of Alexander, where the camp is located, lifted its evacuation order on Tuesday. The province reports 101,689 hectares of land in the RM has been burned by the fires.

As of Monday, 51 firefighters have been battling the blaze in Eastern Manitoba since the fires started in early May. Fourteen helicopters and four waterbombers have been deployed to battle the 63 fires of which 58 were human caused. The total area burned by the fires has reached 129,374 hectares.