A coordinated response to a historic wildfire season

Manitoba Hydro rebuilding lines near Laurie River, MB.

This past spring and summer, Manitoba faced its worst wildfire season on record — with over 2.1 million hectares (8108 square miles) of land burned and widespread impacts to communities and infrastructure. Manitoba Hydro was at the center of the response, working across departments and with external partners to protect the utility’s assets and restore service where impacted by fire.

“So many of our people were not only responding to the threat, but they were also living through it,” says Maria Neufeld, director of Manitoba Hydro’s Enterprise Emergency Centre. “We faced this challenge with a coordinated, company-wide effort prioritizing safety, protecting assets, and ultimately restoring service to thousands of customers. It was inspiring to see that dedication to keeping communities safe, while supporting each other through uncertainty.”

The wildfires began in April in eastern Manitoba and spread north through the summer, affecting every part of Hydro’s network. “We saw it on our transmission. We saw it on generation. We saw it on distribution. We saw it on telecommunications as well. We saw it on our system as a whole, so this is a very unique year overall,” says Brad Hay, enterprise emergency response coordinator.

Crews worked alongside the Manitoba Wildfire Service, the Office of the Fire Commissioner, and local leadership. “It was all hands on deck, helping wherever you could. Whether it was shuttling firefighters, servicing equipment, or supporting communities, everyone stepped up,” says Ryan Ault, who lives in Thompson and manages our waterways programming department.

Restoration efforts began as soon as it was safe. More than 1,000 wood pole structures were replaced, often in remote terrain. Support from SaskPower added tracked vehicles and crews to the effort.

Power was restored to all northern communities by September — weeks ahead of schedule.