A helicopter near the Ranger Station just east of Marchand.       (Photo courtesy of Mark Loewen)

The RM of Piney has declared a State of Emergency following a weekend of forest fires. Reeve Duane Boutang says the main reason for the declaration is to give them the power to close roads. He adds he has been urging provincial officials to declare a travel ban for weeks now.

Gary Friesen of Manitoba Conservation says they will discuss such a ban first thing today. Friesen notes the initial fire this past weekend was likely started by an all-terrain vehicle's exhaust or by a tossed cigarette butt. He adds 30 provincial firefighters are combating the fire with the help of five waterbombers, three helicopters and bulldozers used to cut fire lines.
    
Boutang says the fire died down a bit Sunday night as the wind eased. He notes the blaze is on crown land and no homes or communities are threatened at this time. The weekend fires consumed about 3,000 hectares of forest in Sandilands. Officials are keeping close watch on the wind, noting a change in direction could pose problems for homes and communities.

Meanwhile, firefighters in Springfield battled a grass fire Saturday that burned more than 160 hectares and destroyed an abandoned barn and house near Anola.