Saskatchewan banding together to help evacuees as wildfire rages on

Evacuations continue as the wildfire raging just northeast of Prince Albert, Sask., continues to grow.

Evacuee Roses Stewart said she was not able to even return home after work on Monday evening.

“When the RCMP lady told me I couldn’t go home … I just broke down,” Stewart said.

Stewart is one of many staying in local hotels or with friends and said despite everything, she’s grateful for the shows of support from the community.

“If we can look to be grateful and thankful for all the blessings we have living in this beautiful part of the world, I think that’s the big note we need to come away from here,” Stewart said.

Several companies are offering services like dog kennelling and free storage. Lakeland Ford has offered their compound to store RVs and boats.

“People up north typically have a spot at the lake, they’ve got a trailer, they like to go and do outdoorsy-type stuff. So these are the types of people who are going to need places to store that equipment,” Lakeland Ford general manager Brad Thibaudeau said.

Other companies like Gateway North Towing are offering to pick up any vehicles for storage on their lot as well.

“We decided this morning when the fire was getting worse and we went for a drive and we had seen it almost approaching Highway 55 and Cindy looked at me and she said we need to do something,” Danny Goodwin, with Gateway North Towing, said.

Hardships aren’t limited to those who evacuated — widespread power outages continue north of the city.

SaskTel announced Internet and phone services are out due to the fire as far as the Emma Lake and Missinipe areas, with no estimated time of repair.

As the blaze rages on, fire crews are hoping for rain or for the wind to die down to limit the spread.