Fire tears through Manitoba farm, claims man's life

Neighbours of a man who died after fire swept through a southern Manitoba farm property on Monday say they're stunnedby what happened.

Emergency crews were called to the property near Halbstadtin theRural Municipalityof Rhineland, in southern Manitoba,just before 4p.m.

The flames spread throughthe buildingsand acrossthe property,resulting in an area about the size of two football fields being on fire, RCMP said.

"Upon arrival at the scene, the remains of a badly burned male were found on the property. The identity of the deceased has not yet been confirmed," RCMP stated in a press release Tuesday.

Neighbours told CBC News the victim isHarveyZacharias, a man in his 70s who lived in Winnipeg. The property is an old family farm and he went to it a couple of times a month.

"I was shocked," said Eva Giesbrecht, who lives nearby with her husband, James.

"We lived right beside him and we didn't hear nothing. We didn't see nothing."

The couple said a neighbour phoned them after the fire to tell them what happened.

"It's a big loss," said James Giesbrecht.

"We grew up as neighbours as we were kids. We've known each other fornumerous years. "

May have been clearing away brush

Neighbours saythey believe Zacharias was trying to clear away brusharound the property by burning it off, but the winds began gusting and hegot trapped trying to put the flames out.

"He would have just been trying to put the fire out, I'm sure that is what happened,"said HowardFriesen, who recalled seeingsmoke at around 3:30 p.m.

"I had it in the back of my mind [that] I should go there and check it out, which I wish I would have now in hindsight."

Friesen said there was a huge gust of wind at around 4 p.m. and that's when he noticed black smoke coming from the property, so he and another neighbour rushed over with shovels.

"When I got there all the out-buildings were gone. The house was on fire and the fire department had been called," he said. "The damage had been done. The body was found Harvey was found."

Friesen described Zacharias as "the most laid-back guy you'll ever meet."

"You know, nothing fazes him," he said. "Just a great guy."

Neighbours said Zacharias grew up in the community and his grandfather lived on the property. He and his family would visitthe farm when they wanted a break from city life, they added.

"That's their getaway. They go there to relax and chill and enjoy life and get out of the city," Friesen said.

RCMPand the Office of the Fire Commissioner are continuingto investigate but said the fire does not appear to be suspicious.

Halbstadtis about 20 kilometressoutheastof the town ofAltona, which about 100 kilometres south of Winnipegnear the U.S. border.

'It's been a very dry spring,' says fire chief

On Tuesday, the Manitoba government cancelled all current burning permits due to dry and windy conditions.

• High winds, dry conditions force cancellation of Manitoba burning permits

Altona fire Chief Irv Braun welcomed the news, calling it "a fantastic idea."

"It's very dry out there right now. Even though the ground may be wet, underneath it's not wet enough to stop the spread of fire," Braun said.

"It's been a very dry spring."

Braun is urging people in the area not to burn anything outside if possible, but those who want to burn a few leaves should contain them in a fire pit and ensure there's enough water ready to soak the area.

"As dry as it is, it does not take an awful lot of wind," he said. "It just spreads so quickly. We've seen it too often."