logo
Northern Sask. community of Patuanak declares state of emergency due to wildfires

Northern Sask. community of Patuanak declares state of emergency due to wildfires

CTV News09-07-2025
People stop along a highway as a large active wildfire fills the sky with smoke in the background in the La Ronge, Sask., area in an undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, *MANDATORY CREDIT*
Another community in northern Saskatchewan has declared a state of emergency from wildfires.
On Wednesday, officials with the community of Patuanak were telling residents to evacuate.
Since the highway is closed to the community, evacuees will have to be flown to Buffalo Narrows and then bused to Lloydminster.
Meanwhile, the province has issued another fire ban for parts of northern Saskatchewan as the fire risk remains extreme.
The ban issued by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) will be in effect as of Thursday at 8 a.m. and spans the area north of the provincial forest boundary up to the Churchill River.
It prohibits any open fires, controlled burns, and fireworks.
The ban does not include ATV or UTV restrictions.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

New Brunswick air support arrives to fight central Newfoundland fire
New Brunswick air support arrives to fight central Newfoundland fire

CBC

time25 minutes ago

  • CBC

New Brunswick air support arrives to fight central Newfoundland fire

Latest updates: Kingston, Holyrood and Martin Lake fires still out of control. Kingston fire is 1,432 hectares. Aerial resources, 3 water bombers, 4 helicopters, bird dog, to be shared between Kingston and Holyrood fires. Holyrood fire is 22 hectares, Martin Lake fire is 220 hectares. 3 air tractors from New Brunswick arrived Wednesday, assigned to Martin Lake fire, along with water bomber. Hot dry conditions still problem, no rain in forecast but low winds are favourable. Evacuation orders still in place for Kingston, Perry's Cove, Western Bay and Small Point-Adam's Cove-Blackhead-Broad Cove, sections of Holyrood and Conception Bay South. Evacuation alerts remain in place for Salmon Cove and Ochre Pit Cove. Evacuation orders still in place for cabin area off of Route 360, Bay d'Espoir Highway, extended to Rushy Pond. The ongoing fight against three raging wildfires in Newfoundland and Labrador continues, but additional air support from New Brunswick has arrived. The three fires that have forced evacuations of hundreds of people and put some communities on alert — the Kingston fire in Conception Bay North, the Holyrood fire and central Newfoundland fire in the Martin Lake area — are still burning out of control, said provincial fire duty officer Jeff Motty. Motty said the province will spread its aerial resources over the Kingston and Holyrood fires as needed on Thursday, including three water bombers, four helicopters and a bird dog. "As we see fit between two of those fires, water bombers and helicopters are shared back and forth," he told CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show. He said the Kingston fire is 1,432 hectares, and while in recent days the fire mapping has reported the fire rapidly growing, Motty said that's because more accurate mapping wasn't always possible due to smoky conditions. "Even though it doubled in size — which looks really, really bad — that was not just one day's run, that was a series of days where we just couldn't get in there… to map it." The Holyrood fire is holding steady at 22 hectares. "Crews have been very busy out that way on the back of residential areas, making sure that our containment lines are holding next to homes and things of that nature," Motty said. In central Newfoundland, Motty said the Martin Lake fire, near the Bay d'Espoir Highway, is 220 hectares as of Wednesday evening. He said it is also still burning out of control. The province's fourth water bomber will be flying missions on the fire, he said, along with ground crews and a management team. Moreover, he said the air tractors sent by New Brunswick arrived on Wednesday and will be working on the fire too. Rain on wish list Meteorologist Allison Sheppard said the forecast for the next few days is "maybe not the greatest for… fire conditions. But there's no real strong winds so hopefully that works in their favour." However, she said don't expect rain any time soon. "There really is no significant rain right through the five, seven day extended [forecast]," Sheppard said, adding warm temperatures are expected into next week with no rain to help fight the fires. Motty said they've been facing hot and dry conditions and there is no precipitation in the forecast, which is a problem. "Right now if I could ask for one thing from Mother Nature, it'd be rain," he said. Light winds are better than gusting winds, he said, so that's in their favour.

Nova Scotia bans use of all fireworks due to wildfire threat
Nova Scotia bans use of all fireworks due to wildfire threat

CTV News

timean hour ago

  • CTV News

Nova Scotia bans use of all fireworks due to wildfire threat

Nova Scotia has banned the use of all fireworks amid tinder dry conditions. The province says the new ban is in an effort to protect communities and lower the risk of wildfires. It applies to consumer and display fireworks, and pyrotechnic special effects, even if approvals have already been given. The fine for violating the ban is $25,000, the same as the previously announced ban to stay out of the woods and the ongoing burn ban. The province says all the restrictions will remain in effect until Oct. 15, which is considered the end of wildfire season, or until conditions improve enough for them to be lifted. CTV Atlantic meteorologist Kalin Mitchell says any significant rain in the Maritimes is 'unlikely' for at least the next several days. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page

France's largest wildfire in decades leaves a trail of devastation
France's largest wildfire in decades leaves a trail of devastation

CTV News

time2 hours ago

  • CTV News

France's largest wildfire in decades leaves a trail of devastation

VILLEROUGE LA CREMADE, France — France's largest wildfire in decades continued to burn and spread Thursday, though at a slower pace, after having already ravaged more than 160 square kilometres (62 square miles) in the south of the country and claiming one life, local authorities said. The blaze, which started Tuesday and tore through the Corbières massif in the Aude region, has remained uncontained despite the deployment of over 2,100 firefighters and several water bomber aircraft. The fire's rapid spread was fueled by weeks of hot, dry weather, though cooler temperatures and calmer winds overnight helped slightly ease the situation. 'The battle continues, we have a fire that is not yet under control,' region administrator Christian Pouget told broadcaster BFMTV. The fire has swept through 15 communes in the Corbières massif, destroying or damaging at least 36 homes, with a full damage assessment still underway. One person died in their home, and at least 13 others were injured, including 11 firefighters, according to local authorities. Three people were reported missing, the Aude prefecture added. An investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the fire, which has left a blackened landscape of skeletal trees and ash. 'It's very sad to think about the image we're going to give of our Corbières region, with its devastated landscapes and desperate women and men, not just today or tomorrow, but for weeks and months to come. It will take years to rebuild,' said Xavier de Volontat, the mayor of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, speaking to BFMTV. Meanwhile, residents and tourists in nearby areas have been asked to remain in their homes unless told to evacuate. Those who had already fled the flames were sheltered overnight in temporary accommodation centers in 17 municipalities. The fire, which began in the village of Ribaute, is the most significant France has faced since 1949, according to Agnès Pannier-Runacher, France's minister for ecological transition. 'The night was cooler, so the fire is spreading more slowly, but it remains the most significant fire France has seen since 1949,' she told France Info radio. 'It is a fire that is clearly a consequence of climate change and drought in this region.' This week's fire was the biggest since the creation of a national fire database in 2006, according to the national emergency service. Southern Europe has seen multiple large fires this summer. Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires. Last month, a wildfire that reached the southern port of Marseille, France's second-largest city, left around 300 people injured. Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing at twice the speed of the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. ___ Hernan Munoz And Samuel Petrequin, The Associated Press Petrequin reported from Paris.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store