The community of Sandy Bay in northern Saskatchewan is under full evacuation due to the escalating Flanagan Fire, according to a news released issued by Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation (PBCN) on Tuesday.
The fire remains uncontained, and, although it was burning away from the community, according to a Community Advisory, it “remains volatile and poses a significant threat.”
On Wednesday, Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte, and Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation Chief Peter A. Beatty, both came out strongly calling for more people, particularly Type 3 firefighters, to be on the ground to fight fires earlier in the life of a fire.
In a media zoom call Wednesday afternoon, both leaders said more firefighters would have made community evacuations unnecessary. They both said it’s hard on community members who are forced to evacuate their communities.
On Tuesday there were fire crews actively working on the north side of the fire supported by helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, including water bombers, and heavy equipment.
The fire is burning northwest of Sandy Bay and less than 20 km away from the community, according to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency website.
There is also security services within the community to “protect property during this critical time,” quoted from the Community Advisory, which is signed by Chief Beatty.
On Wednesday, PBCN called for immediate action and accountability from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) in fighting the Flanagan Fire.
“The Leadership had proactively launched a virtual Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) in early July in response to wildfires affecting Denare Beach and Creighton,” reads a PBCN news release.
In more recent days, 89 high-risk PBCN members from Deschambeault Lake were evacuated “to provide them with respite.”
The decision was made “by the rising number of community members who were seeking health care at the health centre for respiratory issues.”
In the Meantime, Chief Peter Beatty has been “urgently advocating for immediate recruitment of hundreds of First Nation firefighters, trained at the Type 3 level to help bring the crisis under control.”
“There are hundreds of qualified First Nations firefighters ready and willing to assist, but the SPSA has refused to hire them, claiming it is too dangerous. Their reasoning? A lack of proper personal protective equipment (PPE). They say that our firefighters only have cotton overalls instead of the Nomex fabric overalls require for fighting these intense fires,” Chief Beatty said in the press release.
Beatty said this is “unacceptable”, adding Prince Albert Grand Council’s (PAGC) has access to the necessary gear, including fire hats and boots.
“Our firefighters have the same training as others. They are fit, experienced, and ready to help, but being sidelined due to a lack of proper gear,” Beatty said.
Beatty added that refusing to deploy qualified First nations firefighters is not only a serious oversight, but a dangerous excuse that endangers lives and communities.
“We cannot stand by while excuses are made,” he said. “Our people are ready to protect their land, but they are being denied the opportunity because the SPSA isn’t prioritizing the resources needed to ensure their safety. It feel like they do not want to put the fire out.”
Hardlotte said the current approach to fire management is not only inadequate, but also negligent in its disregard for the well-being of Indigenous communities in northern Saskatchewan.
“This isn’t just a policy failure; it’s a failure of leadership and moral responsibility of the provincial government,” Hardlotte said in the news release. “Prioritizing economic considerations over human lives and environmental protection is both short-signed and dangerous. These aren’t just remote forests – they are our homes, our sacred lands, and our future. To let them burn without doing everything possible to extinguish the flames is an unforgivable betrayal of our trust.”
PBCN also expressed “deep gratitude” to frontline workers, firefighters and volunteers protecting the community of Sandy Bay, which has a population of approximately 1,800.
In a statement emailed to the Herald Wednesday afternoon, the SPSA said fire crews have been fighting the Flanagan fire since July 10, but were unable to contain it. On Aug. 4, the SPSA said, the fire began posing a risk to Sandy Bay and SaskPower’s Island Falls Hydroelectric Power Station. The SPSA said it has since assigned additional resources to suppress the fire.
In the same email, the SPSA said it regularly contracts Type 2 fire crews through formal agreements with First Nations organizations and norther communities. The SPSA said it has hired 86 Type 2 crews for the 2024 wildfire season.
For the Flanagan Fire, the SPSA has used 11 Type 2 crews from the communities of Deschambault, La Ronge, Pelican Narrows, Red Earth, Sandy Bay, Shoal Lake, and Wahpeton.
“SPSA Operation staff have and will continue to engage in discussions with the community leaders and SaskPower regarding these fires and operations,” reads the press release. “The SPSA assesses every wildfire and decides the best way to manage each fire.”
