SPSA fire map indicating the risk of wildfires across Saskatchewan (Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency)

By Elliott Knopp

Northwest Fires as of July 15

Emergency crews working to contain fires north of Meadow Lake

Jul 15, 2021 | 2:20 PM

Fires continue to rage across Saskatchewan while crews in the northwest remain working to protect communities at risk.

The LOCK fire threatening Buffalo River Dene First Nation, Dillon, Michel Village and St. George’s Hill is still being addressed as the blaze is still increasing in size. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) estimated the wildfire to be more than 23,000 hectares large.

It is reported that 58 residents from this area have taken refuge in North Battleford where they continue to receive emergency accommodations, food and other necessary supplies with the assistance of Meadow Lake Tribal Council. Some community members from the same area are also said to be housed in Lloydminster.

In a media availability yesterday, the SPSA reported that there were several fires south of Beauval heading toward Meadow Lake. Today, SPSA vice-president of Operations Steve Roberts clarified that those fires continue to be addressed by emergency crews.

“Currently, there are five fires south of Beauval. Two of them are active, the FORKS fire and the STRIKE fire. The fires are currently listed as contained, because of our efforts yesterday,” Roberts explained.

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Beauval fire chief Jerry Morin shared some of the fires in the area seem to be receiving assistance from air support crews.

He added while some far areas in the province may receive some relief from cooler, cloudier weather, a majority of Saskatchewan is expected to continue receiving dry, hot weather for the next several days.

“We may get some precipitation and storm activity, and in those locations, we likely will see some lighting. From a fire perspective, we will likely only see significant relief in the far, far north where the temperatures are going to come down and we’ll have more cloudy conditions in those areas.”

Due to the fires in the province and neighboring provinces, most parts of the province are expected to see large amounts of smoke and haze being carried by the wind. The province remains classified as a high or extreme fire risk. The provincial fire ban remains in full effect.

With today seeing 129 active fires, the total number of wildfires this year sits at 367. This number is well past the five-year average of 209 fires. Out of the 129 active wildfires, 12 are considered to be contained while 23 cases continue to beones of protect property and infrastructure and 25 are still expected to increase in size. Sixty-nine of the incidents are still under assessment.

A complete list of active wildfires across Saskatchewan can be seen on the SPSA’s interactive map.

Residents traveling within the province are advised to include the Highway Hotline in their pre-trip planning routine.

A map indicating each community’s risk of wildfires across Saskatchewan (Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency)

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elliott.knopp@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @ElliottKnopp