A hamlet in northern Saskatchewan has declared a state of emergency and is airlifting some residents out a week after wildfire blocked the only road into the community and left around 700 people stranded.
Patuanak, located about 425 kilometres north of Saskatoon, is usually only accessible by road via Highway 918.
“Without assurance that the road could be opened and power lines still being threatened we declared a State of Emergency in Patuanak,” officials with the English River First Nation (ERFN) said in a Facebook post Wednesday.
Priority 1 and 2 people — including elders, children and those with medical conditions — are being taken to safety by aircraft, said Cheyenna Hunt, ERFN director of lands and consultation, in an email to CBC on Thursday.
Nineteen separate trips are planned to transport residents into Buffalo Narrows. They will then be taken to Lloydminster by bus, the email said.
Those who are able-bodied and healthy will remain in the community.
“The combination of fire and smoke has created this state,” Hunt said, adding that winds have been “extremely volatile.”
The Muskeg fire has grown to nearly 34,000 hectares and is about 40 kilometres away from Patuanak, Saskatchewan Public Safety Association (SPSA) executive director of land operations Bryan Chartrand said.
The Smith Fire is also about 29 kilometres away, Chartrand said.
Southerly winds that have been pushing the fire toward Patuanak are expected to switch direction Monday, heading north, according to Chartrand.
“These fires will not be getting any closer,” he said.
Despite this,The SPSA said it has been in discussions with ERFN and Patuanak prior to the decision to evacuate.
“Not only on who should evacuate, what the risks are, but they also make decisions on how they want to carry that out,” said Steve Roberts, SPSA vice-president of operations.
Four other communities — Beauval, La Plonge reserve, the resort subdivision of Lac La Plonge and Kinoosaomare — are under evacuation orders due to the Muskeg fire.
The SPSA said 930 people remain evacuated in the province — down from 15,000 in June.
The SPSA issued a fire ban Thursday for areas north of the provincial forest boundary, up to the Churchill River, due to “the high fire activity and extreme fire risk.”
As of Thursday afternoon, 56 fires remain active in Saskatchewan, with only six listed as contained.
SPSA lists 12 as not contained, 21 as under ongoing assessment and 17 as “protecting values,” meaning the fire is active and the focus is on protecting things like cabins and infrastructure.
Saskatchewan has had 362 wildfires to date this year, well above the five-year average of 222 for this time.
Up-to-date info on active fires, smoke and related topics is available at these sources:
