Wildfires blazed across the province last week and proved that Saskatchewan might not have been prepared to handle the environmental crisis.
Provincial firefighting crews were battling up to 14 active fires at once on Thursday.
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency confirmed there have been 94 fires in the province this year, compared to a five-year average for this time of year sitting at 39.
Steve Roberts, vice-president of operations for the agency said that all fires in the province were caused by humans and will be investigated.
A 266-hectare fire north of La Loche and south of Clearwater Dene Nation had the area evacuating Thursday and Friday. Heavy equipment, helicopter support and air tanker support were attending the flames.
Evacuees were sent to Meadow Lake, Lloydminster and Regina. Salteaux First Nation also evacuated over 100 people.
“It’s a lot quieter than it was in the previous days,” said Roy Sean Cheecham from Clearwater Dene Nation.
He said while firefighting resources were spread across the province tackling different flames, it was the local people that helped contain the chaos.
“The response with local people, people used their own equipment, their own resources. We are lucky that people did what they did.”
Community members brought water tanks, pumps, and their own pickups to help in the efforts.
“How people came together was amazing,” said Cheecham.
“We had local people that were cooking, bringing out water, our band staff were at the command centre working hard to provide as much support as they could. There’s nothing in their job description that says when things like that happen you have to stay, you have to work 14, 16 hour days, there isn’t. They chose to stay.”
He said they are currently looking for hidden embers that have the ability to spark again. The community is widening fire guards to prevent future fires as the season remains dry.
“They call it ‘mop up’. Firefighters are going around making things aren’t going to reignite. We are pushing a path through the bush and making a stop where brush and trees can’t burn,” Cheecham said.
The evacuation orders were lifted Monday and residents were allowed to go home.
“It’s a sense of relief but the work doesn’t end,” said Cheecham. “It was a bit of a wake-up call for how prepared we need to be. Things need to be in place — we are servicing equipment, replenishing our firefighting equipment and stock and people are just recovering.
“It is going to take a lot of education on our part, on the province’s part, on the officials and authorities’ part to advise people of the fire risk on an ongoing basis.”
Environment Canada predicted above-average temperatures for the remainder of the month and below-average precipitation levels, saying that wildfire season still looms over the province.
“With this big ridge building in, we are expecting over record-breaking heat over western areas, especially northwest parts of the province,” Lang said. “It may bring a return back to those fire conditions again so it’s a warning to keep in mind.”
She said that farm equipment, cigarettes, and sparks from trains have high risks of starting fires right now.
“They weren’t caused by lightning,” Lang said about the wildfires in the past week. “There wasn’t any lightning in the area. We know a lot of the fires are human-caused at this time of year.”
Fire bans are in place across several rural municipalities across the province, which you can find a map of on the province’s website.
Large swaths of the province are considered at extreme or high risk according to the Fire Danger Map. An interactive map has also been released from the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System, mapping the country.
Poor air quality and reduced visibility are reported in areas including La Loche, Clearwater River and Buffalo Narrows.
“Right now, the winds are coming from the southeast, so in the vicinity of those fires it is blowing the smoke into Alberta,” said Terri Lang with Environment Canada.
“Over the next couple days, we are expecting the winds to switch to a more southwesterly direction and if any fires are still bringing, they are going to take that smoke into more northern areas of Saskatchewan.”
Lang said if winds move to the north, the smoke will drift into central areas of the province.
She recommended that those sensitive to air quality issues stay indoors as much as possible for the time being.
Global News has asked the province for their response to the recent wildfires.
— with files from Global News’ Brody Langager
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