Wildfires in northern Saskatchewan are blazing out of control which is stretching resources in the province.
On Tuesday, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) provided an update on the 21 active and out-of-control fires raging in the prairies.
SPSA vice-president of operations, Steve Roberts, says overnight and daytime temperatures have remained high, alongside strong winds and dry conditions, saying the combination hasn’t been favourable in suppression efforts.
“Currently, we are looking at a spring fire season for the month of May. We probably have not seen a fire season with this much impact and activity in the last couple of decades this early,” explained Roberts
Already this year, Saskatchewan has seen 205 wildfires which is a stark contrast to the five-year average to date of 124.
“Almost every single one of these fires was a human-caused fire start and could have been prevented,” added Roberts.
Firefighters on the front lines stationed in Lower Fishing Lake have been working to mitigate the spread for both the Camp and Shoe fires, but were forced to disengage after the two fires merged, burning the base and resulting in the loss of the kitchen, vehicle, and sleeping quarters.
Those two fires are now classified as only the Shoe fire and is an estimated 216,000 hectares.
Crews were then moved to the Resort Village of Candle Lake, where Mayor Colleen Lavoie welcomed the teams.
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“The call came very late at night. I came down in my pyjamas to open up the curling rink so everybody had a place to land,” said Mayor Lavoie at a press conference early Tuesday morning.
“The community has showed up in droves to help and support and feed the crews that have been here,
As of May 27, a pre-evacuation alert remains in place for the Candle Lake community, and local fire crews on site are requesting the SPCA give them approvals and permits to create a fire break starting at Minowukaw, along the 120 highway and going behind the Aspen Ridge subdivision.
“Building this buffer may be one of the only things that saves these communities,” said Jim Arnold, Emergency Fire Chief of Candle Lake.
“The community feels that its important that Candle Lake and Paddockwood get that fire guard in place as soon as we can. Today, we’re asking for the province to act immediately to help protect the community of nearly a billion dollars worth of property when you combine that Candle Lake and Paddockwood area.”
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Marlo Pritchard, SPSA president and fire commissioner says permits have yet to be given, but are working with the community closely, sending a mitigation specialist to develop a plan.
“Really, what it comes down to is that community is not in imminent threat,” explained Pritchard. “It is still definitely a fire in the vicinity, so it’s not what we would declare as an emergency. So, there are requirements when we do mitigation efforts.”
Other wildfires of note in the province that have been of top priority include the 850-hectare Pelican 2 fire which is dangerously close to Pelican Narrows.
It’s resulted in the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation issuing a state of emergency and a mandatory evacuation for the entire community.
The Jaysmith fire, northeast of Missinipe has grown to 18,000 hectares and is near the highway north of La Ronge, threatening the community of Brabant Lake.
At least one structure has been lost in the 51,000 hectare Pisew Fire west of La Ronge.
Precautions have also been taken at the Moran Mining site to secure the area due to the Wolf Fire that’s grown to 6,400 hectares, just west of Denare Beach.
Highway closures are also in place across the province and the SPSA is encouraging people to check the Highway Hotline before driving through or near impacted communities.
SPSA says that while they navigate where to send crews to areas that are most at risk, they’re calling on provincial partners and other agencies to support their efforts.
So far, Quebec has lent the province two water bombers and the State of Alaska has sent an aircraft tanker for additional help.
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