Sask. premier, officials to provide wildfire update

Leaders exact sue as wildfires persist in to glow in Saskatchewan

People with property in northeast Saskatchewan, along with the province's Official Opposition, are calling on the government to declare a provincial state of emergency amid a rapidly escalating, early wildfire season.

On Wednesday, the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation and Montreal Lake Cree Nation declared a joint state of emergency. In light of the severity of the wildfire situation, First Nations leaders said in a news release that they have "deep concerns" about critical shortages in firefighting resources, personnel and air support.

The declaration demands direct meetings with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, federal ministers and members of Parliament.

Grand Chief Brian Hardlotte of the Prince Albert Grand Council said more firefighting personnel, increased air support and help with accommodations for evacuees are all urgently needed.

Wildfires spur 3 First Nations in Sask. To declare joint state of local emergency

Chief Peter A. Beatty of Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation said in the news release that many First Nations communities are becoming boxed in due to road closures and limited evacuation routes.

"We are doing everything possible on the ground, but this situation is beyond our capacity to manage alone," Beatty said.

The community of Weyakwin, on Highway 2 west of Montreal Lake, issued an evacuation order late on Wednesday.

The Shoe fire, which resulted from the merging of two fires burning north of Prince Albert since early May, is the largest in the province as of Thursday morning.

Jim Arnold, fire chief for the Resort Village of Candle Lake, said on Thursday the fire now covers more than 300,000 hectares, based on the latest briefing he had from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency.

Arnold said there have been conflicting reports about how far the fire is from the community, but he's heard it's between 20 and 22 kilometres.

On Wednesday, Candle Lake upgraded its pre-alert evacuation notice into a voluntary evacuation. Arnold said part of the reason is they're expecting a lot of smoke and they want people with medical conditions to have the opportunity to leave "without compromising their health."

They also want to reduce the number of people who would need to leave on short notice, if a mandatory evacuation is required.

Nathan Pitka is one of many who wants a provincial state of emergency declared.

The Shoe fire prompted an evacuation order in the Resort Subdivision of East Trout Lake, where his cottage is located. 

On Wednesday, East Trout Lake, located approximately 160 kilometres southeast of La Ronge, declared a state of emergency. The SPSA said East Trout Lake has received "substantial loss."

Thousands evacuated as wildfires burn across Sask.

Pitka wrote a letter to Moe, who has yet to publicly speak on the wildfire crisis, asking for more communication and for help to be brought in. 

"I wrote the letter because no one else was saying what urgently needed to be to be said. I mean, we're watching communities burn in real time," Pitka said.

"It felt like the rest of the province didn't even know this was happening. So I just thought I needed to say something."

When Whiteswan Lake, 130 kilometres northeast of Prince Albert, was evacuated on Monday, Walter Halliday decided to stay behind. The operational manager of Whiteswan Lake Lodge said there's little information available to those from the community about what is happening and what is being done to get the wildfires under control.

As of the end of Wednesday, there were 19 active wildfires burning in Saskatchewan, nine of which were not contained. 

According to the SPSA, the province has made requests for crews, equipment and more aircraft. There is already a water bomber from Alaska and two from Quebec working in the province.

On Wednesday, in response to the wildfires in his province, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew ordered a state of emergency and received assurances of emergency military aid from Ottawa.

In a release that evening, Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck, Athabasca MLA Leroy Laliberte and Cumberland MLA Jordan McPhail said Moe and his government must do the same. 

They also called for the province to commit to daily public briefings. These, they said, are to ensure "all essential — potentially lifesaving — information reaches people impacted by this wildfire crisis in Saskatchewan's North."

Up-to-date info on active fires, smoke and related topics is available at these sources:

Journalist & Radio Columnist

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