The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) said on Friday that several of the major wildfires are over 50 per cent contained.
SPSA Vice-President Steve Roberts said that there are currently 51 active wildfires, there have been 379 fires to date, well above the five-year average of 289.
Six fires are currently listed as contained, 12 are not contained, 18 are undergoing assessment, and 12 are in the protecting values phase.
“Our weather conditions remain hot and dry,” Roberts said.
The SPSA issued a fire ban effective at 8 a.m. on July 10 due to high fire activity and extreme fire risk. The ban encompasses the area north of the provincial forest boundary, up to the Churchill River.
This fire ban includes all of Prince Albert National Park and an area closure for the northern area of Prince Albert National Park, from the northern boundary extending south.
Roberts said SPSA crews have received plenty of support from Saskatchewan volunteer fire departments, as well as crews from outside Saskatchewan.
“We have crews in here right now from Quebec. We have Air tankers in Saskatchewan from Quebec as well, 40 Australians arrived and have engaged in the Beauval area on some of those fires. We have 40 firefighters from Mexico that will arrive and be deployed tomorrow onto the fire line,” he said.
“We also have a command team coming tonight from Ontario and they will be followed by crews from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in the following days…. We’ve also been able to bring 167 type 3 firefighters from our northern local communities and put them to work on the fire lines as well.”
Roberts said the Shoe Fire, which was once the largest in the province, is now 75 per cent contained but still is causing closures on Highway 912.
The Pisew Fire by La Ronge is now 90 per cent contained and there are no highway closures.
The Wolf Fire by Denare Beach is also 90 per cent contained with no road closures.
“The Ditch Fire by Weyaknin is now listed at 75 per cent contained no road closures at this time.
The Muskeg Fire near Beauval is not yet contained.
“There are highway closures on Highway 918 and Highway 165 and there’s fire in the vicinity of Highway 155 at that junction,” Roberts said.
“The Buhl fire which is at the northern edge of Prince Albert National Park, is not yet contained. We are working in a unified command structure with the National Park. It has resulted in the closure of Highwawy 916,” he added.
The Trail Fire, which is west of the Muskeg Fire and also near Beauval is also not contained and is impacting Highway 906.
There are currently eight communities that have evacuated some of all of their citizens.
“Those communities have evacuated both at-risk individuals and four have evacuated all nonessential personnel. That means that there is actually about 1,700 individuals currently
evacuated from their communities, and they’re being supported by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency and the Meadow Lake Tribal Council,” he said.
Some are staying with family and friends and are receiving support from the SPSA.
Roberts said that recovery efforts are continuing for communities still recovering from fires earlier in the season,
“The recovery task force continues its efforts to provide financial support and planning guidance to communities that are in the rebuilding stage that will continue in the coming weeks
“The SPSA continues to support people that are displaced. That includes payments up to $500 to people who have had to evacuate and then have to return,” Roberts said.
“People who are supporting themselves during the evacuation are also looking to be supported with security cheques and those cheques are going to communities on an ongoing basis from the agency,” he added.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
