WOLLASTON LAKE, Sask. – Smoke and shifting winds hampered efforts to evacuate a northern Saskatchewan fly-in community where a forest fire burned at the edge of town.
The smoke briefly cleared at Wollaston Lake airport Wednesday, allowing 200 people to be flown out of the remote community, about 840 kilometres north of Saskatoon. But at least 1,000 other residents remained hunkered down in two local schools.
The five-square-kilometre fire was burning next to the airport and winds were blowing smoke across the runway, shutting down access to the facility.
“The airport is in-and-out of service on a minute-by-minute basis and the road that was leading to the airport obviously is in jeopardy and is closed – temporarily we hope – because of smoke conditions or danger in that particular area,” said Saskatchewan fire commissioner Duane McKay.
McKay said officials are “investigating other options” to move people.
But options are limited.
There’s no permanent road access to Wollaston and the lake, where a ferry runs in the summer, still has ice on it. McKay said officials are looking at using boats to move people across a small nearby bay, if it’s free of ice, or using helicopters. Calls for helicopter help have been made to Alberta and Manitoba, he said.
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“It is our priority to move these people out as quickly as possible,” said McKay.
“While we would like that airport to open and we’d like to get these people out that way, it’s the simplest way, we are looking at other options to continue to accomplish the task that we’ve set out to do.”
There are about 30 homes in the hamlet along with 193 houses on the Wollaston Lake and Hatchet Lake reserves.
Fifteen aircraft lifted out about 240 people Tuesday from the hamlet and a nearby reserve. They were taken to shelters in Prince Albert. Officials said Wednesday that those shelters were nearing capacity, so any new evacuees would be taken to Saskatoon once they were able to get out.
The residents stranded in Wollaston Lake were moved into the high school and elementary school.
“Those schools have air-conditioners and other systems to help keep the air quality as good as it possibly could be,” said Norm Vetter, Saskatchewan’s emergency social services manager.
“For those that still remain in the community, the attempt is to keep them as safe as possible until they can be airlifted out.”
The fire was first reported Monday to Saskatchewan Environment and the evacuation order came down Tuesday.
Steve Roberts, the province’s executive director of wildfire management, said the fire was likely man-made because there haven’t been any lightning strikes in the area. Roberts said the ground is still frozen but a hot-dry spell has left all the trees “tinder-dry.”
The wind has become a problem because it’s “moving the fire in a direction that we rather it wouldn’t,” he said. The fire has come up near the south edge of the town.
“There are a couple of structures that start there and, of course, the first structure that it’s closest to is actually the high school,” said Roberts. “The fire is actually progressing south of that, it’s actually near the fence on the outskirts of the high school property, but that’s where our guys are controlling the fire and they have good access both from the ground and the air.”
Residents have voiced concern about the ability to get out.
Rescue co-ordinator Anne Robillard, who lives in Wollaston Lake, said flames were getting close.
“The wind’s shifting our way … and it’s going to go directly to us,” she said.
Robillard said she was trying to remain calm even though she could see the fire advancing.
“Personally, I’m taking responsibility, so I’m not on the panicky side yet. I have to say that because I see the flames so close.”
– By Jennifer Graham in Regina, with files from CKBI
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