As wildfires burn across northern Saskatchewan, the community of La Ronge is blanketed in smoke — and grappling with fear and uncertainty.
The area has been under an air quality warning for several days, and while no immediate evacuation orders have been issued, smoke and shifting winds have kept residents alert and anxious.
“There’s a lot of smoke,” said Tammy Cook-Searson, chief of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band. “It is starting to impact especially children who are asthmatic, or anybody with any compromised health issues.”
In response, the band has opened a fresh air shelter inside the Jonas Roberts Memorial Community Centre (JRMCC). The arena is now equipped with large air scrubbers and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. to offer relief for anyone affected by the smoke.
“We just want people to come in here if they want to breathe fresh air to get out of the smoke,” said Arnold Mirasty, facility supervisor at JRMCC. “Then we’ll serve them coffee, water, whatever we have.”
Mirasty says dozens of people showed up the morning after the shelter opened: “I had the purifiers running since yesterday. It’s nice in here — and refreshing.”
The shelter also provides food, drinks, seating areas and transportation support.
In response to rising social media concerns about wildfires, La Ronge Regional Fire Department urged calm in a Thursday morning Facebook post .
“There has been some commentary circulating online,” the department posted. “At one point, someone insisted that we need to evacuate immediately, creating unnecessary panic. At this point there are no fires that pose an imminent risk.”
Wildfires continue to burn large sections of northern Sask.
The post went on to say that smoke and highway closures are normal parts of northern wildfire seasons, and encouraged people to stay calm and rely on trusted sources such as the Saskatchewan Highway Hotline for up-to-date road conditions.
“This is something that we deal with every year,” the fire department wrote. “Roads will close, roads will open. There will be smoky days and there will be days you can see large plumes of smoke in the distance. Some days ash will fall, some days it will be clear.”
While the community remains on edge, Cook-Searson is calling for more support.
“We need to be able to train our own community members,” Cook-Searson said. “We also need the proper equipment, so we’re able to fight the fires effectively.”
With nearby highways facing road closures, including Highway 165 and Highway 102, Cook-Searson says contingency plans for potential evacuations are still not set due to difficulties in getting out of the area.
“The only way out is by boat or by plane,” Cook-Searson said. “We need help and more resources to be able to put those contingency plans in place.”
Up-to-date info on active fires, smoke and related topics is available at these sources:
