The Town of The Pas has shut down all open burning as of Friday, May 29, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., a move that comes as seven wildfires burn nearby and the province remains under a state of emergency.
The Town of The Pas Fire Department issued the ban, which covers every kind of open fire inside town limits. The decision came the next day after the Rural Municipality of Kelsey, which wraps around The Pas and includes 10 communities, also banned all open fires, including recreational fires in approved pits, and cancelled existing burn permits and fireworks.
On May 28, seven fires were burning between The Pas and Cranberry Portage, with most hugging the area near Egg Lake on the west side of Highway 10. Environment Canada is forecasting highs between 27C and 34C for northwestern Manitoba over the next several days, and the chance of rain is small. The province remains under a state of emergency for wildfires, and most of Manitoba is rated as an extreme fire danger.
The ban arrives as summer events ramp up. The Opasquia Agricultural Society runs the only campground within 15 kilometres of The Pas, offering 20 full-service RV lots at its Exhibition Grounds, and hosts rodeos, chuckwagon races, and festivals all summer. Since the Exhibition Grounds fall within town limits, the municipal fire ban directly applies to campfires at its RV park. Visitors planning to camp there or at nearby Clearwater Lake Provincial Park, a popular spot for boating and swimming about 30 kilometres north, should expect fire pits to be off-limits and should confirm rules before travelling.
The Town previously co-hosted a wildfire information session with the Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization on May 11, and fire pit applications may be forwarded to Fire Chief Byron Shangraw at [email protected]. The council, led by Mayor Andre Murphy, has not set an end date for the ban, meaning it will likely stay in place through the current extreme fire danger.
