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turnor lake residents allowed back home as nearby blaze now controlled
while residents of turnor lake and birch narrows dene nation can now return home, the village of sandy bay is being evacuated. there are 67 wildfires burning in sask., nine of which aren't contained.
aug 21 2024
3 minute read
crews drop fire retardant from the air near a forest fire northeast of prince albert on may 17, 2021.
kayle neis
/
the canadian press
residents of turnor lake and birch narrows dene nation are allowed to return home now that a nearby wildfire threatening the two northern saskatchewan communities is under control.
the saskatchewan public safety agency (spsa) provided an update wednesday morning on the fire, which is believed to have started from lightning on july 10. the blaze was more than 18,000 hectares in size and burned less than five kilometres away from the 600-person hamlet of turnor lake.
the spsa said about 400 residents from both communities were receiving support in lloydminster and cold lake, alta.
called in to assist, a crew from new brunswick remains on the ground and is working to gain access on the northwest flank of the fire. helicopter and air tanker support is also being deployed in the area.
meanwhile, peter ballantyne cree nation has evacuated the village of sandy bay with assistance from the canadian red cross. a fire in the area is still considered out of control.
referred to as the flanagan fire, the spsa says it has burned over 28,000 hectares since it started on july 9 and continues to approach sandy bay, which is located about 190 kilometres northwest of creighton near the manitoba border. there is currently an emergency response team stationed at the fire, in addition to air tanker and helicopter support.
creighton was put on evacuation alert earlier this summer as a fire approached the town, but it was contained before any orders were made to leave the community.
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the spsa says there were 67 wildfires burning in the province as of wednesday morning, nine of which were considered uncontained and 21 designated as “protecting property,” meaning crews are working to prevent damage to power infrastructure and highways.
environment and climate change canada (eccc) is forecasting thunderstorms into thursday for some areas in northern saskatchewan. more rain is expected next week, which could provide some respite to crews battling blazes.
there are 53 active fire bans in rural municipalities, plus 16 in urban municipalities and eight in provincial parks. that includes blackstrap provincial park, coldwell recreation site, danielson provincial park, douglas provincial park, elbow harbour recreation site, fort carlton historic park, pike lake provincial park and saskatchewan landing provincial park.
in april, the province announced that crews were preparing two weeks early for an intense fire season after below average levels of precipitation over the winter and anticipated areas of drought due to lower water tables and higher temperatures .
however, while some provinces added more firefighters to their roster, saskatchewan maintained the same numbers as last year. the province has also sent equipment and crews to alberta, manitoba and the northwest territories.
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this year, the province has 220 type 1 firefighters and 410 type 2 firefighters available to tackle wildfires. the government website says type 1 crews typically perform initial and sustained attacks on wildland fires while type 2 crews provide firefighting and response services as needed and work on projects within their home communities in times of low fire dangers. type 3 crews are made up of qualified firefighters and are hired on an emergency basis to help type 1 and 2 crews.
so far in 2024, there have been 495 wildfires in saskatchewan, 155 more than the five-year average.
last year, the province saw nearly 500 wildfires.
“like other jurisdictions in canada, saskatchewan is seeing larger, more aggressive fire seasons,” said a statement from the spsa on wednesday afternoon. “(we) will continue to monitor conditions in the province throughout the entire season.”
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