Well over 100 Buffalo Narrows, Sask., residents have fled their homes due to a nearby wildfire, while those who have stayed breathe in poor air and are without electricity indefinitely.
The village about 430 kilometres northwest of Saskatoon issued a partial evacuation order Sunday. As of Monday, 150 people had fled and 100 more were registered to evacuate, Coun. Shaylee Gardiner told CBC News.
People who boarded buses to evacuate were sent to Lloydminster, while those who left on their own travelled to Prince Albert, Meadow Lake or Saskatoon, Gardiner said.
Thirty-five active wildfires are burning throughout the province, including eight that are not contained, said Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) officials Monday afternoon.
The Vermette and Shaw fires, each spanning at least 25,000 hectares, are burning just south of the hamlet of Dillon and Buffalo Narrows. They prompted several communities to issue full evacuation orders; the partial order from Buffalo Narrows only affects people with underlying chronic health conditions, seniors and families with children younger than two.
The SPSA is paying for hotels and accommodations, among other necessities, for the 95 people who had evacuated to Lloydminster from Buffalo Narrows, said Peter Boniface, SPSA executive director of aviation operations.
The agency is also working to support people who have found other accommodations, he added.
Indigenous Services Canada, meanwhile, is helping about 650 people from Buffalo River Dene Nation, which issued a full evacuation Saturday, who have fled to Lloydminster, according to a statement the ministry issued to news media Monday.
The evacuees will stay there until it is safe to return to the community, the statement says, adding that they will receive all required necessities and regular wellness checks.
The SPSA has also issued a travel advisory for the Montreal River area, north of Highway 2 and Junction 165, due to a nearby wildfire.
The agency is urging paddlers to not use that section, because it could pull firefighting resources from the ongoing wildfire, it said in a news release.
As of 6:30 p.m. CST Monday, the SPSA reported 162 wildfires so far this year — more than double the five-year running average, according to the province’s wildfire dashboard.
The stark increase in fires stems from drought last fall and other weather, like the El Niño pattern, that has left the soil dry, explained Bryan Chartrand, SPSA executive director of land operations. Strong winds have also been pushing flames, allowing fires to move quickly.
“It’s just a combination of things affecting us from our last season to now,” Chartrand said.
Smoke prompts air quality statements
The Shaw fire in particular is producing a lot of smoke, the SPSA says. According to Environment Canada’s air health quality index, the air in Buffalo Narrows is considered to be very high risk.
“We had a lot of smoke from the Fort McMurray fire, but [I’ve] never experienced seeing a fire like this,” Karen Montgrand, a Buffalo Narrows resident, told CBC News via direct message.
Montgrand shared photos with CBC News showing an opaque grey smoke cloud hanging over the region, blocking out the sky. But she says the air near her home is “not bad.”
Environment Canada has issued air quality statements for most of northern Saskatchewan due to wildfire smoke.
There are strong winds in the forecast that may push some of that smoke to the central and southern regions, said Environment Canada meteorologist Terri Lang. If hot and dry weather settles over the province, that could pin the smoke down — instead of letting it float up into the atmosphere to dissipate — and create a risk of smoke inhalation.
“People shouldn’t be surprised when they start to see that smoke move in,” Lang said.
“We may see an expansion of the special air quality statements as that smoke moves down, especially if the winds, with this hot and dry air, really fans the flames.”
Wildfire causes large power outage
Meanwhile, residents in a large portion of northern Saskatchewan, including those affected by large wildfires, are currently without power.
The outage, which affects about 2,500 customers, occurred after flames moved under some SaskPower infrastructure and burned about two kilometres of power lines, said SaskPower spokesperson Scott McGregor.
“It’s just one more thing that I’m sure everyone up there is worried and stressed about,” McGregor said. “We greatly appreciate everyone’s patience while we get these services restored.”
SaskPower’s outage map suggests customers will be without power until at least Tuesday, but McGregor says the timeline is murky because it depends on the damage and how soon it will be safe enough for crews to get to work.
Crews from various areas, such as Regina, Saskatoon and North Battleford, have been dispatched to the area for assessment, he added.
More Stories
Fair share: the right office solution can take finding the right partner
Ontario faces crew shortages, aircraft issues in fight against wildfires | Globalnews.ca
Refugee attends open house at Downtown Eastside affordable housing facility – BC | Globalnews.ca