A look at a wildfire burning near Buffalo Narrows. (@Shushan49765498/Twitter)

By paNOW Staff

WILDFIRES

Conditions could only fuel wildfires further says SPSA

May 15, 2023 | 4:28 PM

Nearly 100 residents of Buffalo Narrows have fled the community as a nearby wildfire continues to grow.

That came from an update Monday afternoon from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) on the wildfire situation.

As of Monday, 35 wildfires are burning including two major ones covering more than 50,000 hectares combined: the Vermette fire and the Shaw fire.

Brain Chartrand with the SPSA said almost 70 personnel are battling the Vermette fire near the hamlet of Dillon while over 50 personnel are attacking the Shaw fire.

“Right now, the status of the fire (Vermette) is uncontained and it’s burning quite aggressively right now and we are having difficulties at this point in time due to the smoke conditions and the fire intensity,” said Chartrand.

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He added there is no timeline as to when those who have evacuated can return as conditions are not favourable for firefighters and no rain is in the forecast.

Joan Hrycyk with the SPSA said they are assisting 95 residents who have evacuated Buffalo Narrows and the Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC) is assisting others.

The SPSA also touched on why they’re experiencing a harder-than-normal wildfire season so far. Chartrand said factors like El Niño and last year’s drought have led to little moisture in the soil which only helps fuel the fires as the ground is dry.

Wildfires burning in northern Saskatchewan recently prompted a state of emergency for the Village of Buffalo Narrows.

Mayor Sandy Ericson said Monday that many residents evacuated the community because the smoke is affecting their health.

She said the loss of electricity has also made it difficult for people trying to stay cool.

SaskPower said residents could still be in the dark Tuesday as there is no official timeline on when crews can restore power.

The outage was caused by an uncontained wildfire that spread two kilometres under a power line. Some 2,500 residents went the night without power and are expected to be without power for at least another 24 hours, according to SaskPower. Another update is expected by 8 p.m. on Monday.

–With files from The Canadian Press and 650 CKOM

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panews@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @princealbertnow