The Manitoba Wildfire Service is hoping that precipitation and cooler temperatures that have been forecasted for the rest of the week will help efforts to fight the blaze that has caused citizens of a Northern Manitoba community to evacuate over the weekend.

Crews have been working to get two fires near Pukatawagan under control, one of which is about 500 meters from the community and is approximately 23, 000 hectares in size as of yesterday afternoon.

In addition to the local fire department, firefighters from Ontario and the North West Territories are also in Pukatawagan to help with the blaze.

Cailin Hodder with the service says it’s hard to say how long it will take for the fires to dissipate, explaining it could take several days to a few weeks depending on weather conditions.

As of yesterday, there are 59 wildfires across Manitoba.