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The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) has asked the federal government for tents and two base camps.
The tents would provide accommodation for up to 200 people, according to Sask. Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod, while the base camps would support restoration efforts.
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“They would be designed for workers to stay as they rebuild communities and as we go back to repatriating these communities and restoring services in them,” he said.
According to McLeod, the base camps would have sleeping quarters, kitchen and dining spaces, and bathroom and shower facilities.
He says the larger of the two camps could house between 100 to 150 people and would likely be located in Denare Beach, which had the largest infrastructure losses.
The smaller of the two camps would hold between 50 to 100 people, and McLeod says it might be located near the La Ronge-Weyakwin area.
McLeod says he’s optimistic the request will get a quick response.
Weyakwin evacuation order lifted
One of the two communities that stands to benefit from a prompt reply, Weyakwin, had its evacuation order lifted allowing residents to return home.
McLeod hopes it will become a trend going forward.
“We’re optimistic that more communities will indeed be returning home in the days and weeks ahead, and we look forward to that progress,” he says.
But that progress depends on the remaining infrastructure.
SPSA’s vice-president of operations, Steve Roberts, says once an evacuation occurs, critical services like groceries and hospitals, stop.
While Roberts says someone who’s single may choose to go back without those services, it won’t work for everyone.
“If you’re a family of four and two of those are toddlers, maybe you need the power and the water and all of those other resources available,” he says.
Roberts says it’s ultimately up to community leaders to decide on which members should return and on what time frame.
Fire risk in the province on June 9, 2025. (Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency)
Fires in Saskatchewan on June 9
There were 24 active fires burning in Saskatchewan by the afternoon on June 9.
According to SPSA, six of those blazes were not contained, 11 were under ongoing assessment, and firefighters were protecting values in two. Five fires were considered contained.
Contained means suppression action is taking place and the fire is not expected to grow in size, ongoing assessment means the fire is being monitored regularly to assess risk to values in the area and not contained means suppression action is taking place but the fire is expected to grow in size, according to SPSA. Protecting values means a fire is active and action is focused on protecting things like cabins and infrastructure.
As well, fire bans are active in 61 urban municipalities, 128 rural municipalities and 32 provincial parks in the province.
In a change from previous days, high to extreme fire danger is primarily contained within southwest Saskatchewan.
SPSA says there have been 256 fires in Saskatchewan so far in 2025. The five-year average to date for Saskatchewan wildfires is 145.
Fire bans in the province on June 9, 2025. (Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency)
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