Sarah Mills: Early wildfire season raises questions about prevention
Wildfires have forced thousands of people in Saskatchewan to leave their homes, and the summer hasn't even started yet. ...
The number of wildfires burning in the province dropped overnight from 17 to 16.
A fire burning near Christopher Lake was contained and is no longer considered a wildfire of note, according to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency’s (SPSA) daily wildfire bulletin.
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Of the 16 wildfires burning in the province, seven are not contained. A total of 16 Saskatchewan communities have been evacuated, leaving approximately 4,300 people displaced.
The massive Shoe Fire has now charred 305,000 hectares and is still not contained. To give some perspective, that’s about 13 times the size of Saskatoon. The SPSA said it recorded trace precipitation of up to five millimetres in the area, but concerneds about strong winds in the forecast and a risk of dry lightning in thunderstorms remains.
In anticipation of the wind shifting to the northwest in the afternoon, crews will be addressing excursions, or portions of wildfires that have broken free from control lines, and spot fires in the stubble. They will also have Smeaton and Choiceland fire departments on alert for help. The guard around Candle Lake is nearing completion and “looks good,” the SPSA noted.
Tomorrow, the SPSA will be moving its incident command centre to Choiceland. Candle Lake was a temporary location, but moving to Choiceland will allow easier and closer access to available resources along Highway 55, according to a post on the resort village’s Facebook page.
The Jaysmith Fire, northeast of Missinipe, is 33,642 hectares in size. The SPSA said crews will work on the fire line southwest of Brabant and around the community.
The Pisew Fire west of La Ronge is not contained at 61,205 hectares. The fire has crossed Highway 165 and closed highways in the area. Helicopters are bucketing the flames, and the community of Hall Lake, which was evacuated a few days ago, continues to be secure. The SPSA is looking to get a float plane to set up more value protection units on the northwest side of the fire.
The Wolf Fire west of Denare Beach is 29,000 hectares in size. Helicopters will do bucketing as smoke conditions allow, but the agency said there are limited resources on the fire.
“People in the area that are refusing to leave are causing some issues with firefighting personnel,” the SPSA noted.
The Pelican2 Fire, located northeast of Pelican Narrows, has now joined with the Point Fire. Crews will work along the roadway near the graveyard in the community. Helicopters will bucket the fire, and skimmers will be used to cool the area near the road to give crews a chance to fight the blaze in the morning, if visibility allows.
The Club Fire, north of Creighton, is 25,000 hectares. Helicopters were not able to bucket the fire until the evening yesterday due to poor visibility. The focus today is on the southwest side, near the community.
The Ditch02 Fire north of Weyakwin is 2,500 hectares in size. Crews will continue patrolling around the community, extinguishing hotspots around the perimeter.
