Sask. encouraging residents to come forward with information regarding intentionally set wildfires
An orange-coloured haze, resulting from a nearby wildfire, is seen on a helipad in La Ronge, Sask., in an undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, *MANDATORY CREDIT*
Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) president Marlo Pritchard says investigators have determined that 80 wildfires in the province this year were started by humans, with approximately 30 of those set intentionally.
Pritchard says the SPSA and police are asking for the public's assistance to help identify individuals that have intentionally set wildfires.
'Of those [intentionally set fires] we have had four in the Prince Albert area in the past number of days and so again we would ask members of the public to call your local police service or Crime Stoppers,' he said.
RCMP have already laid two arson charges, including against those believed responsible for starting the Ditch02 fire in the Weyakwin area that forced multiple evacuations.
Pritchard says the SPSA can confirm 290 structures have been lost to the fires, with the possibility of that number climbing to 400 once more investigations are done.
The SPSA also revised its provincial fire ban on Tuesday at 5 p.m. According to Pritchard, the provincial ban now only applies to the Northern Provincial Forest up to the Churchill River.
Minimal to no fire growth
Favourable weather conditions including rainfall has allowed firefighters to more directly attack flames over the past few days. That is also allowing some evacuees to return home.
'We are turning a corner, we are seeing that the fire activity has been relatively stable over the past few days. There has not been any significant growth and we've also seen and been informed that there is numerous communities either preparing for or have repatriated back to their communities,' Pritchard said.
According to Pritchard, Birch Portage evacuees returned home June 9 and Little Bear Lake, Moosehorn and Timber Bay evacuees are returning home on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, residents of Hall Lake, Brabant Lake, Nemeiben Lake, Sucker River, Wadin Bay, English Bay, Sikachu, Clam Crossing, Lac la Ronge Indian Band, La Ronge, Air Ronge, Napatak, Eagle Point, Lamp Lake, Rabbit Creek, Potato Lake and priority one and two individuals in Stanley Mission are all expected to return home in the next day or so, according to Pritchard.
'As the repatriation efforts continue, we will work with community leaders to support those that are being supported by SPSA to safely return to their communities in the coming days,' he said.
Pritchard says as of Wednesday, there is still approximately 10,000 or more people still evacuated.
The SPSA says there are 23 active wildfires in Saskatchewan on Wednesday. Six are listed as not contained and two with fire crews protecting values and property.
The Shoe fire remains the largest in the province at approximately 550,000 hectares, according to the SPSA.
The fire is one of the six still considered not contained but the SPSA says it has not significantly grown over the past few days.
Crews remain focused on finding hot spots within the fire's perimeter and continuing to be stationed on the fire's west end to protect nearby communities.
The Pisew fire near La Ronge has also not significantly grown since the area received about 22 millimetres of rain over the weekend. That is allowing about 7,000 evacuees to return home in the coming days. According to the SPSA the Pisew fire is at 181,000 hectares on Wednesday.
More information can be found here.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Warnings of ‘danger' as Ontario is set to face extreme heat: Phillips
Senior Climatologist David Phillips urges people to remain safe during the upcoming heatwave in Ontario as many may not be climatized to the hot weather.
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Parts of Sask. could receive up to 80 millimetres of rain this weekend
Areas of Ontario and Quebec have rainfall warnings on June 19, 2025. (Pexels) A rainy weekend is expected in parts of Saskatchewan, with up to 80 millimetres of rain possible in some areas by Saturday night. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) issued a rainfall warning for a portion of west central Saskatchewan around 3:30 p.m. on Friday. According to the warning, showers will begin late Friday evening and overnight before turning into heavy rain on Saturday morning. The weather agency says the heavy rain will continue during the day but will taper off in the evening. As of Friday afternoon, the warning covered areas including Kindersley, Eston, Rosetown, and surrounding regions. ECCC warns heavy downpours may lead to flash flooding and water pooling on roads, advising residents to stay alert and monitor forecasts here. ECCC As of Friday evening, parts of west central Saskatchewan were under a rainfall warning. (Photo source: Environment and Climate Change Canada) Increased runoff In an advisory Friday afternoon, the Water Security Agency (WSA) said the large amounts of rain is likely to increase runoff into the South Saskatchewan River, as well as other bodies of water between Lake Diefenbaker and the western border. WSA advises people to take precautions around lakes and rivers, making sure to be aware that water levels can change quickly and without warning. WSA asks the public to check local conditions before venturing on or near bodies of water and says it will provide updates as necessary.
National Post
3 hours ago
- National Post
Second death confirmed in Banff rockslide: 'Neither preventable nor predictable'
A rock slide in Banff National Park claimed two lives on Thursday, including a senior woman from Calgary. Article content RCMP and Parks Canada officials said Friday afternoon that their search for victims went on through the night and into the morning at Bow Glacier Falls. Article content Article content The first death was confirmed to be a 70-year-old woman from Calgary, Jutta Hinrichs, while the second hiker's body was recovered early Friday morning. That person had not been identified by Friday afternoon. Article content 'RCMP are notifying their next of kin and no further information is available at this time,' the agencies said in a joint statement. Article content Article content 'At this time, there are no additional persons reported missing and no additional unidentified vehicles at the trailhead located at Bow Lake.' Article content Officials added that three injured hikers taken to hospital by STARS air ambulance and ground ambulance Thursday were all in stable condition. In total, 13 visibly injured visitors or non-injured bystanders were evacuated from the scene. Article content There were ultimately 100 personnel involved in the response effort, including crews from several first response agencies. Article content As part of search efforts, Canada Task Force 2 — a natural disaster response team — conducted infrared flights, through their partners in the Calgary Police Service, to complete a thorough assessment of the area. Article content Meanwhile, a geotechnical engineer from Canada Task Force 2 conducted a slope stability assessment. Article content Article content Francois Masse, Parks Canada superintendent for the Lake Louise, Yoho and Kootenay field unit, said that assessment revealed the rockfall was caused by natural processes in mountain areas. Article content 'Sadly, this extremely rare event appears to have been neither preventable nor predictable,' he told reporters. Article content 'Parks Canada and the RCMP extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the two individuals who lost their lives. Our thoughts also remain with those in hospital and we hope for their full recovery.' Article content Article content The first victim was confirmed as Jutta Hinrichs, a retired occupational therapist from Calgary and a clinical education co-ordinator for the University of Alberta. She was a member of a local hikers group called Slow and Steady Hikers, some of whose members were caught in the rock slide.
