Thompson Fire and Emergency Services say that have seen a spike in grass fires in recent weeks.

Deputy Fire Chief Mike Bourgon spoke to Arctic Radio News and said that this is normally the time of year where there is a spike in fires, though conditions this year are dryer than normal.

He said that Thompson Fire and Emergency Services are working with Sustainable Development to make sure that the City is fire smart. Bourgon said that if anyone doesn't know what that means, or if they don't know how to make their homes fire smart, they can come to the Fire Hall or give them a call at 204-677-7915.

Bourgon said that if you see any suspicious behaviour where kids, or anyone, are playing with fire in the school yard, tree line, Millennium Trail or elsewhere in the City you are encouraged to call the fire department. He added that they want to make sure things are handled properly, and that people aren’t creating fire threats that don’t need to be there.

There have been a few fires in the Thompson area already this year, including one near the airport and one in the Juniper area. There are also three wildfires current south of Thompson, and one to the west near the Saskatchewan border.

The interactive Manitoba Sustainable Development Wildfire Map can be found here.

There is not currently a burn ban in the City of Thompson.