More people are being urged to evacuate as wildfires continue to pose a threat to northern Saskatchewan communities.. RCMP vehicle .Dillon, St. George's Hill, and Michel Village residents have been forced from their homes, although the number of evacuees is uncertain..Buffalo Narrows remains in a state of emergency, with 95 individuals relocated to Lloydminster, while others have opted to evacuate on their own..“Visibility on the roads in the area has been poor due to smoke, and Buffalo Narrows RCMP accompanied buses carrying evacuees until they were out of the affected area,” said the RCMP in a Monday late afternoon statement..“Highway 155 between Buffalo Narrows and Ile-a-la-Crosse is closed as of the time of publication and Ile-a-la-Crosse RCMP are assisting with redirecting traffic. Officers are proactively patrolling evacuated communities to ensure they remain safe and secure.”.The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) is helping people who left their homes because of the wildfires..Joan Hrycyk, SPSA emergency and crisis support director, said the SPSA provides evacuees in Lloydminster with a place to stay, food, and other necessities as needed..The two fires that caused the evacuations are both bigger than 25,000 hectares..As of 5 p.m. Monday, there were 33 ongoing wildfires in Saskatchewan. Of those, 11 were under control, while seven were still burning out of control..The remaining 14 fires were still being evaluated, with officials regularly checking to see if they pose a risk to nearby property and infrastructure..The SPSA predicts the hot and dry weather will continue for the remainder of the week, which means individuals will not be able to return to their homes for the time being..A wildfire caused power outages in Buffalo Narrows and other nearby communities. SaskPower stated it does not know when power will be restored, but the outage is expected to continue through Tuesday..Additionally, travel advisories have been issued for the Montreal River area, north of Highway 2, due to a wildfire located four kilometres north of the 165 junction..“The SPSA is asking paddlers to not use this section of the Montreal River as it would pull personnel and resources from the wildfire response if they were to become in need of rescue,” said the SPSA press release..Air quality statements are still in effect in northern Saskatchewan due to heavy smoke, causing problems and affecting firefighting operations..Bryan Chartrand, SPSA land operations executive director, said firefighting crews are using an indirect approach to combat the fires..“We are working away from the fire in preparation for it advancing just because we can’t get our staff into the vicinity just due to their own safety,” said Chartrand..This year, Saskatchewan already faced 162 wildfires, more than twice the five-year average of 77..Chartrand explained the main reason for the increase is the drought the province experienced last fall..“We just don’t have that water table that we normally have and so it’s been drier and with the winds, these fires have been taking off,” said Chartrand..“Hopefully, we will have some reprieve with rain. I don’t know when that’s forecasted, but hopefully, within a week or two, we will get a break and we can get these contained.”.Chartrand warned this is just the start of summer and the SPSA still faces significant challenges. However, new aircraft that was recently introduced has already been deployed to help fight the fires.
More people are being urged to evacuate as wildfires continue to pose a threat to northern Saskatchewan communities.. RCMP vehicle .Dillon, St. George's Hill, and Michel Village residents have been forced from their homes, although the number of evacuees is uncertain..Buffalo Narrows remains in a state of emergency, with 95 individuals relocated to Lloydminster, while others have opted to evacuate on their own..“Visibility on the roads in the area has been poor due to smoke, and Buffalo Narrows RCMP accompanied buses carrying evacuees until they were out of the affected area,” said the RCMP in a Monday late afternoon statement..“Highway 155 between Buffalo Narrows and Ile-a-la-Crosse is closed as of the time of publication and Ile-a-la-Crosse RCMP are assisting with redirecting traffic. Officers are proactively patrolling evacuated communities to ensure they remain safe and secure.”.The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) is helping people who left their homes because of the wildfires..Joan Hrycyk, SPSA emergency and crisis support director, said the SPSA provides evacuees in Lloydminster with a place to stay, food, and other necessities as needed..The two fires that caused the evacuations are both bigger than 25,000 hectares..As of 5 p.m. Monday, there were 33 ongoing wildfires in Saskatchewan. Of those, 11 were under control, while seven were still burning out of control..The remaining 14 fires were still being evaluated, with officials regularly checking to see if they pose a risk to nearby property and infrastructure..The SPSA predicts the hot and dry weather will continue for the remainder of the week, which means individuals will not be able to return to their homes for the time being..A wildfire caused power outages in Buffalo Narrows and other nearby communities. SaskPower stated it does not know when power will be restored, but the outage is expected to continue through Tuesday..Additionally, travel advisories have been issued for the Montreal River area, north of Highway 2, due to a wildfire located four kilometres north of the 165 junction..“The SPSA is asking paddlers to not use this section of the Montreal River as it would pull personnel and resources from the wildfire response if they were to become in need of rescue,” said the SPSA press release..Air quality statements are still in effect in northern Saskatchewan due to heavy smoke, causing problems and affecting firefighting operations..Bryan Chartrand, SPSA land operations executive director, said firefighting crews are using an indirect approach to combat the fires..“We are working away from the fire in preparation for it advancing just because we can’t get our staff into the vicinity just due to their own safety,” said Chartrand..This year, Saskatchewan already faced 162 wildfires, more than twice the five-year average of 77..Chartrand explained the main reason for the increase is the drought the province experienced last fall..“We just don’t have that water table that we normally have and so it’s been drier and with the winds, these fires have been taking off,” said Chartrand..“Hopefully, we will have some reprieve with rain. I don’t know when that’s forecasted, but hopefully, within a week or two, we will get a break and we can get these contained.”.Chartrand warned this is just the start of summer and the SPSA still faces significant challenges. However, new aircraft that was recently introduced has already been deployed to help fight the fires.
