Sask. wildfire update: SPSA reports some progress despite losses

By: paNOW Staff

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency is reporting ‘substantial progress operationally’ since yesterday when it comes to fighting the largest fire burning in the province.

The Shoe Fire, which now includes the Camp Fire after they merged, is more than 216,000 hectares in size. The SPSA said one of the affected communities, Whiteswan, had dozer guards put in place. Value protection units are being deployed to Whiteswan from Fishing Lake and Piprell Lake. Dozer guards are also being put in place north of Candle Lake.

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The fire burning southwest of Little Bear Lake taken on Tuesday, May 27. (Submitted)

The daily wildfire bulletin said, “East Trout Lake has received substantial loss in the area; crews are working on suppressing fire and protection values. Little Bear Lake has not yet been impacted but very close at approximately 1 km from the west shore of the Lake. Plans are to protect Moose Lodge at Little Bear Lake.”

The villages and towns of Smeaton, Choiceland and Love are expected to experience lots of smoke with the south-southwest winds on Wednesday.

Cabins, trailers, campgrounds, a logging camp and even the SPSA’s own compound have been destroyed by flames from the Shoe fire. Several communities continue to be affected, including Lower Fishing Lake, Piprell Lake, East Trout Lake, Little Bear Lake and Whiteswan/Whelan Bay, which have all faced evacuations.

The Shoe fire (which now includes the Camp fire) as of Wednesday, May 28. (Submitted photo/SPSA)

The Jay Smith fire burning north of Missinipe grew significantly overnight, from 18,000 hectares on Tuesday to more than 26,000 hectares today. The SPSA said it will look at a burn plan near Brabant Lake in the event the fire comes to the community, which has already been evacuated. Highway 102 is closed from McLennan Lake to Junction 905.

The Pisew fire, west of La Ronge, doubled in size from to 25,693 to 51,757 hectares. Hall Lake has already been evacuated. The SPSA said the fire has crossed Highway 165. Highway 910 northbound near Highway 165 is closed and the Junction Highway 913 to Junction Highway 165 is closed. Four helicopters are supporting crews, air tankers and heavy equipment.

A wildfire update from the Lac La Ronge Indian Band said some cabins have been lost in the fire zone. But about 3,500 hectares have been burnt off in a successful back-burn operation between Highway 165 and a guard line to create a fuel break to protect critical infrastructure, including power lines.

The forecast indicates moderate to high smoke levels for the next 48 hours. An air quality monitor is being installed at Clam Lake Bridge and Sikachu Lake to better track conditions. A Fresh Air Shelter has been opened at the JRMCC Arena in La Ronge to support community members impacted by poor air quality due to wildfire smoke in the region. The shelter is equipped with air scrubbers to help filter smoke and improve indoor air quality.

The Pelican 2 blaze burning northeast of Pelican Narrows is now 1,387 hectares in size. The SPSA said it’s working to protect the substation/power station north of the community and other critical parts for the anticipated wind direction change. Visibility has become a concern due to smoke coming from southern fires.

The Club fire, north of Creighton, is 1,000 hectares. Values in the area include a mine site to the southeast, a Co-op bulk fuel site and Highway 106 which is closed from Junction 135 to Creighton. The SPSA said the priority will be protecting the city of Flin Flon and the town of Creighton.

The LRIR09 fire west of Christopher Lake is not yet contained. It is currently 500 hectares in size. Crews are working southeast of the blaze, extinguishing the fire perimeter near houses. Other crews will continue with their sprinkler setup on the north head of the fire. Crews from Montreal Lake will monitor the fire and then jump onto the Little Red fire burning nearby. The focus will be on stopping the fire before it spreads to Christopher Lake.

The Wolf fire west of Denare Beach is 6,400 hectares and crews continue suppression efforts to keep the fire from threatening the McIlvenna Mine Site.

A photo from near Lower fishing Lake May 26 showing the wildfire in Narrow Hills Provincial Park. (Submitted photo)

For the first time, the SPSA was able to remove a wildfire of note from their daily bulletin. The blaze burning near Canoe Lake First Nation is now considered contained.

There are currently 19 active wildfires burning in the province; nine of them are not contained.