Wildfires will take more than a week to contain, official says
More than a thousand Saskatchewan residents have been forced to flee their homes as fire and smoke continue to spread throughout the north.
As of 10 a.m. on Thursday, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) had reported 24 active fires in the province.
Four of them were not contained, while 12 were undergoing assessment, seven were contained, and respondents at the remaining fire were focused on protecting property.
“We urge everyone across the province to be diligent in preventing fires and protecting their communities,” said SPSA president and fire commissioner Marlo Pritchard.
“We remind everyone not to drive or park on dry grass, and avoid using all-terrain vehicles in dry areas. (And) we want to remind people to take extreme caution ... using tools (and) disposing of smoking material.”
Pritchard said the SPSA and Meadow Lake Tribal Council were sheltering and providing emergency support to 760 fire evacuees in Lloydminster, and a further 220 people in North Battleford and 94 people in Regina were getting support form the public safety agency.
The SPSA said there is no clear answer on when the evacuees can safely return home.
“With the current weather conditions and the dry, dry conditions we're dealing with, and the size of the fires, it's going to take some time for us to get them contained,” said SPSA executive director of land operations Bryan Chartrand. “So I don't have a magic number, but it won't be a time in the near future. We're looking at at least a week-plus from now — unless we get a large rain event, and that is not forecasted right now.”
As of midday on Thursday, five Saskatchewan highways — 155, 925, 914, 165 and 910 — were completely or partially closed due to the fires. Throughout the day, the Ministry of Highways was busy putting up signs and staffing barricades to keep drivers away from dangerous roads.
“People are reminded that highways can be closed or impacted due to wildfire and smoke, and to check the highway hotline regularly,” said Pritchard. “But whenever possible, please avoid travel to the impacted areas of the north at this time.”
The SPSA continues to escort trucks with food and fuel to northern communities, so people remaining in the north are not cut off from essential supplies.
More help may be coming from the provincial government in the weeks ahead.
During question period on Thursday, Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck raised concerns over lost food due to power outages affecting northern residents and others.
Premier Scott Moe said the government was in “active discussions — very rapid active discussions — in how we can support our Saskatchewan residents in the north that have been impacted,” and that an announcement was forthcoming.
The SPSA said it had not yet heard of any buildings or structures lost in the fires.
“Nothing has been reported yet, but as always, there are concerns that there could have been structures we were not aware of or could not access due to the fire intensity, and the smoke, and not being able to fly,” said Chartrand.
Meanwhile, former MLA Bucky Belanger, who left the northern village of Ile-a-la-crosse after an evacuation order was issued in the community on Tuesday, said more than 30 cabins in the Buffalo Narrows area had likely been destroyed. The loss is devastating, as the buildings held rich family and trapline history, he said.
“We see all that burned to the ground, nothing left but ashes.
That's real, real heartbreaking.”