The Saskatchewan government has declared a provincewide state of emergency, as wildfires raging across the northern part of the province continue to drive thousands from their homes.
Premier Scott Moe made the announcement Thursday at a news conference in Prince Albert.
“It’s a very serious situation that we’re faced with in Saskatchewan. We do need some rainfall and we need that sooner rather than later,” Moe said.
“In light of that not being in the forecast, we are putting in place every measure possible … to prepare our communities.”
The state of emergency will be in effect for 30 days and can be extended as necessary.
Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency president Marlo Pritchard said there will be daily briefings moving forward.
“We will get through this, but we have to work together,” Pritchard said.
The announcement comes after calls for the declaration from people with property in northeast Saskatchewan and the province’s Official Opposition.
Northern First Nations request more help
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 First Nations’ declaration demanded direct meetings with 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.
“The number one thing we’re doing right now is human life — to prevent any deaths out there,” Hardlotte told CBC News Network host Heather Hiscox on Thursday morning. “The emergency, it’s real dire. And we’re calling on the governments to step in — both levels of governments.”
Out-of-control wildfires in northern Saskatchewan have prompted three First Nations to declare a joint state of local emergency: the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation and Montreal Lake Cree Nation.
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.
Shoe fire grows to more than 300,000 hectares
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.
“This thing is massive and, you know, it’s a Category 6, which is the strongest and most ferocious fire that you can have,” he told host Adam Hunter on CBC Radio’s The Morning Edition.
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.
East Trout Lake suffers substantial loss
Nathan Pitka is one of many who wanted 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.Â
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.”
Pitka fled to stay with his parents in Saskatoon on Monday. He told CBCÂ he believes his cabin burned down, but does not yet have confirmation. His family has been going there for 48 years.
As wildfires continue to burn, three First Nations in northern Saskatchewan have declared a state of emergency and leaders are demanding action to help fight the fires.
Pitka wrote a letter to Moe asking for more communication and for help to be brought in.Â
“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.Â
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.
Up-to-date info on active fires, smoke and related topics is available at these sources:
