'We need rain and we need a lot of it': SPSA says as wildfires ravage Saskatchewan
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In a wildfire season that ranks among the worst ever recorded in Saskatchewan, a historical landmark is now among the losses.
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The community of La Ronge — one of the hardest hit areas so far in the province — is lamenting the destruction of Robertson Trading. The beloved trading post, lost this week along with a Rona Hardware store, was iconic in the town of 2,500 people.
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Hundreds of Indigenous artifacts and works of art owned by the Robertson family were housed at the store. It all burned after the nearby wildfire sparked a blaze in downtown La Ronge. About 7,000 people living in La Ronge, Air Ronge and the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, an area roughly 380 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, were ordered out just days earlier.
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'Everybody is battling,' La Ronge Mayor Joe Hordyski said. '(Anything) you can protect is a bonus.'
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In Saskatchewan, officials on Wednesday reported 24 active fires. They said there have been 243 wildfires so far this fire season, well above the five-year average of 135. With such high numbers of fires, and three weeks of no appreciable rain, this season has made for a complex time with fires impacting populated areas.
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'There's between 10,000 and 15,000 people currently out of their homes at this time. They are in a shelter or hotel supplied by the government or from the Red Cross, or may just be staying with family and friends,' said Steve Roberts, vice-president of Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency.
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'It has probably been the most difficult fire season for May that I've experienced in 21 years.'
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Roberts said a variety of factors are coalescing to make it an extremely volatile and difficult situation.
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'(It's the) sheer numbers,' Roberts said.
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Property damage is also on the rise, according to the SPSA. Provincially, 34 evacuations are currently in place. According to Roberts, the number of cabins, homes, infrastructures and vehicles that have been damaged or destroyed is estimated at more than 400. The hardest hit is in the Denare Beach area, Roberts added.
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CTV News
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