Provincial leaders are pulling together in the wake of deadly fires

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe while providing an update on the wildfires in Northern Saskatchewan.

“We need a change in the weather, and until we get it we are in a fight for our homes,” he said at a press conference Tuesday.

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) is reporting 20 active fires currently in the province.

Eight of those fires are contained, five are not contained, 6 are ongoing assessment, and one is to protect values, according to SPSA President Marlo Pritchard.

“Yesterday was an extremely challenging day for our firefighters,” said Pritchard. “The fire behaviour was extremely (…) aggressive, so that the firefighters had to get out of the way for their own safety. We continue seeing high winds and challenging conditions for our firefighters.”

SPSA said upwards of 9,000 people in the province have been evacuated from their homes, while Moe says the number could reach 15,000.

“We have challenging days ahead of us,” said the premier. “As we arm through this, the weather doesn’t seem to be changing in the near future. Many families are leaving their homes and don’t know if they’re going to see it again.”

An evacuation order was given on Monday to around 7,000 people in the town of La Ronge, Air Ronge, and Lac La Ronge Indian Band.

Moe said some of the biggest destruction has been in places like Denare Beach, where many family homes have been lost.

The Saskatchewan Government, as well as the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan (MN-S) have both declared a State of Emergency in the province.

“These wildfires are spreading so unpredictably, and citizens are being evacuated with little or no notice and no destination in place,” said MN-S President Glen McCallum.

“We must be able to respond to their needs so that when they arrive at safe locations, they are welcomed with as many comforts from home as we can provide,” he said.

The MN-S have mobilized response teams to provide support, and are opening up Batoche to help with those fleeing their homes.

Currently, the province is providing shelter to evacuees in hotels around the province, and believe they can continue to do so going forward.

SPSA officials noted that Saskatchewan has had 229 wildfires to date, well over the five-year average of 132. They also reported around 400 structures have been lost to the fires.

The many growing fires around the province include the Shoe Fire, at 407,000 hectares, the Jaysmith Fire at 88,000 hectares, the Ditch02 Fire at 70,000 hectares, and the Wolf Fire at 70,000 hectares, according to the SPSA.

April ChiefCalf, NDP MLA in Saskatoon Westview, who once lived in the north for about 20 years, is helping coordinate donations for evacuees.

“What we are seeing across the northern regions of this province is unprecedented and absolutely devastating,” said ChiefCalf in a statement.

“To people forced from their homes – you are all my new constituents now as well, and I will do everything I can in my role to make sure you are take care of.”

Moe said he’s spoken with the premiers in Alberta and Manitoba, as well as Prime Minister Mark Carney, and was assured resources would be made available to battle the fires in the three prairie provinces.