'Cried my eyes out': Northern Saskatchewan communities evacuated as wildfires burn
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For some, like Brian Ballantyne, it starts with a knock on the door.
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Northern wildfires are forcing many communities to issue mandatory evacuation orders, and lives are suddenly upended.
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Ballantyne — from the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation community at Pelican Narrows — is among the people who have been forced from their homes. Ballantyne was looking after his brother's house when he heard what he described as persistent knocking at the door.
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Evacuees to Saskatoon are being supported by the Canadian Red Cross, which is providing necessary supports out of the Cosmo Civic Centre.
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Ballantyne said many people had already left ahead of the evacuation order, so the road into the community was not extremely busy as he was leaving. He said air quality was not bad, but added officials were expecting the wind to change and bring smoke into the Pelican Narrows townsite.
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'I wasn't planning on going out of town,' he said. 'I was planning on staying there, but they told me you had to go.'
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When it comes to the battle against fires threatening the community, Ballantyne said he saw water-bombers and helicopters working to contain the flames.
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The province, in conjunction with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, on Thursday declared a state of emergency. As of Thursday, there have been 206 wildfires in Saskatchewan this year — well above the five-year average of 125.
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'We are seeing the devastating effects of wildfires impact communities across our province,' Premier Scott Moe said.
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The state of emergency will be in effect for 30 days and can be extended if necessary.
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Lana Sheppard said East Trout Lake is 'devastated' after fire on Wednesday swept through, leaving the small resort subdivision north of Narrow Hills Provincial Park largely destroyed.
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East Trout Lake was issued an evacuation orders earlier this week, along with nearby Little Bear Lake campground.
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'There's nothing left. Everything's gone,' she said, after receiving aerial photos from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency showing the aftermath.
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CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Manitoba Métis Federation assists wildfire evacuees with needed supplies
One of several piles of items for wildfire evacuees collected by the Manitoba Métis Federation. Uploaded on June 1, 2025. (Gary Robson/CTV News Winnipeg) With roughly 17,000 people being evacuated in northern Manitoba due to ongoing wildfire danger, various supports have been put in place to assist the evacuees. The Manitoba government noted on Sunday that congregate shelters have been set up in Winnipeg, Thompson, Winkler and Portage la Prairie. 'The hotels are already full across Manitoba,' said Premier Wab Kinew during a press conference last Wednesday. In Winnipeg, Billy Mosienko Arena (709 Keewatin Street), Eric Coy Arena (535 Oakdale Drive), Century Arena (1377 Clarence Avenue) and the Winnipeg Soccer Federation North facility (770 Leila Avenue) have been closed to the public to be used for emergency shelters or reception areas. Billy Mosienko Arena The Billy Mosienko Arena, seen on May 31, 2025, is being used to offer assistance to wildfire evacuees from across the province. (Gary Robson/CTV News Winnipeg) The City of Winnipeg stated that all programming and rentals at those sites are suspended until further notice, adding that they are working closely with the provincial government and the Canadian Red Cross. Evacuees who do not have a place to stay are being asked by the provincial government to proceed to Billy Mosienko Arena, staffed by provincial emergency social services and the Canadian Red Cross. The centre will be open all hours of the day until further notice, according to the provincial government. Manitoba Métis Federation provides supplies to evacuees Manitoba Métis Federation command centre The Manitoba Métis Federation is offering supplies and meals to evacuees at 406 McGregor Street. Uploaded June 1, 2025. (Gary Robson/CTV News Winnipeg) Since Thursday, the Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF) has established a command centre at 406 McGregor Street, offering donated supplies and meals to evacuees. 'Being evacuated from a place from up north to (Winnipeg) is stressful,' said JoAnne Remillard, MMF Minister of Environment and Climate Change. Remillard said that 'well over a hundred' evacuees dropped by the command centre on Sunday. 'The donations keep coming in,' she said. 'We've also opened up our pharmacy for those that had to evacuate quickly and may have forgotten their prescriptions.' She stated that the command centre offers a wide range of supplies, including clothing, shoes, children's toys and hygiene products. Items for fire evacuees can be donated at the command centre between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. daily. Donations outside of those hours can be received by calling 1-888-362-2012. University of Manitoba housing evacuees and firefighters B.C. firefighter B.C. firefighters, as shown in this undated image, are being housed at the University of Manitoba. Uploaded June 1, 2025. (B.C. government) The University of Manitoba is also assisting wildfire efforts by housing evacuees and firefighters, after initially being contacted by the provincial government last week. Nick Sears, government and community relations officer with the University of Manitoba, stated on Sunday afternoon that approximately 30 firefighters from B.C. have been staying on campus since Friday night. Sears said the university is expecting the possibility of 100 additional firefighters from the U.S. staying on campus after they arrive later this week. Evacuees from Flin Flon, Pukatawagan and other northern communities in Manitoba are also staying on campus, with a total of 87 beds presently available for evacuees. 'About half of the beds have been occupied,' said Sears. 'The number does change, sort of every hour, depending on who's going and coming.' He added that 'a lot' of the evacuees housed on campus are single individuals. 'It's been a very challenging couple of days, but it's also been a very proud moment for the university to be able to step up and help in what is a really challenging and difficult time.' Over 8.9K evacuees registered with Red Cross, says province The provincial government is encouraging all evacuees to register with the Canadian Red Cross as soon as possible, stating that registration 'ensures the province can allocate supports where they are most needed.' Registration allows evacuees to be contacted 'about services and assistance that may become available to them,' according to a provincial press release. The Canadian Red Cross has already registered more than 8,900 people from over 3,500 households as of May 30 that were evacuated due to wildfires in the province. Evacuees can register online or by calling 1-800-863-6582 (toll-free) between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. CDT. The provincial government stated that 'while donations and public support is appreciated,' individuals are advised to coordinate support 'through official channels' as evacuation centres are not set up for uncoordinated drop-offs. -With files from CTV's Gary Robson
Calgary Herald
2 days ago
- Calgary Herald
'Cried my eyes out': Northern Saskatchewan communities evacuated as wildfires burn
Article content For some, like Brian Ballantyne, it starts with a knock on the door. Article content Article content Northern wildfires are forcing many communities to issue mandatory evacuation orders, and lives are suddenly upended. Article content Ballantyne — from the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation community at Pelican Narrows — is among the people who have been forced from their homes. Ballantyne was looking after his brother's house when he heard what he described as persistent knocking at the door. Article content Article content Evacuees to Saskatoon are being supported by the Canadian Red Cross, which is providing necessary supports out of the Cosmo Civic Centre. Article content Ballantyne said many people had already left ahead of the evacuation order, so the road into the community was not extremely busy as he was leaving. He said air quality was not bad, but added officials were expecting the wind to change and bring smoke into the Pelican Narrows townsite. Article content 'I wasn't planning on going out of town,' he said. 'I was planning on staying there, but they told me you had to go.' Article content Article content When it comes to the battle against fires threatening the community, Ballantyne said he saw water-bombers and helicopters working to contain the flames. Article content The province, in conjunction with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, on Thursday declared a state of emergency. As of Thursday, there have been 206 wildfires in Saskatchewan this year — well above the five-year average of 125. Article content Article content 'We are seeing the devastating effects of wildfires impact communities across our province,' Premier Scott Moe said. Article content The state of emergency will be in effect for 30 days and can be extended if necessary. Article content Lana Sheppard said East Trout Lake is 'devastated' after fire on Wednesday swept through, leaving the small resort subdivision north of Narrow Hills Provincial Park largely destroyed. Article content East Trout Lake was issued an evacuation orders earlier this week, along with nearby Little Bear Lake campground. Article content 'There's nothing left. Everything's gone,' she said, after receiving aerial photos from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency showing the aftermath.
CBC
2 days ago
- CBC
'Resources stretched thin,' Premier Scott Moe says, as Saskatchewan wildfires rage on
Premier Scott Moe says Saskatchewan's ability to fight a plague of wildfires across the province is reaching the breaking point. The premier was joined by officials from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency at a news conference in Prince Albert on Saturday to update the current wildfire situation. The province continues to experience one of its worst starts to the wildfire season on record. More than 500,000 hectares have burned in wildfires across the province so far this year. "Resources are stretched thin because of the severity of the situation that we're facing and the intensity and the proximity of the fires," Moe told reporters. "Just can't have another fire." People need to be absolutely careful about accessing areas close to the wildfires, as these are incredibly stressful and challenging times for those in northern Saskatchewan. Sixteen active wildfires in the province have led to at least 17 evacuations, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes. Evacuees feeling the pressure Sandy Oosterlaken from the village of Denare Beach, where there is an evacuation order, said she had about 30 minutes to leave her home. But as she was told to leave, her husband was trapped on the other side with no access to essentials. "My husband was trapped on the other side of the barricade with no pills, no food, no nothing. They wouldn't let him come to me to evacuate," she said. Oosterlaken managed to get to him, but now the couple are in limbo trying to figure out where they're going to go. They have no idea where to spend the night and for how long. "We're trying to register with Saskatchewan Red Cross; I've tried numerous times," she said. She hasn't been able to register with any of the evacuation organizers so far. "Worse happens, we're sleeping in the car. We'll just keep traveling from town to town to town to town till hopefully we find something," Oosterlaken said, adding that first they're headed to Saskatoon. State of emergency declared in Sturgeon Landing The Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation has declared a state of emergency for the community of Sturgeon Landing due to wildfires. It's issuing a mandatory evacuation order because of heavy smoke from a wildfire burning in Manitoba and the increasing threat to road access in and out of the area. The First Nation says all community members must evacuate immediately and that evacuees must meet at the Wanless Store, which will serve as the staging area. From there, it says, a convoy will travel to The Pas, Man., with support from emergency personnel to ensure a safe evacuation. If anyone is evacuating by private vehicle, they are urged to follow the convoy and not travel alone. Wildfire smoke is also affecting other communities in the province, with air quality warnings in place for areas including Saskatoon, Regina, Prince Albert and Estevan. The province's largest fire, the Shoe fire, has burned 305,000 hectares, which is about 13 times the size of Saskatoon. Smoke from that fire has been threatening communities, including the resort village of Candle Lake. WATCH | Resources stretched thin as wildfires rage, Sask. premier says: Sask. premier says resources are stretched as wildfires rage 6 hours ago Duration 2:11 The community experienced thick smoke over the last few days, but according to the latest update, the fire is "moving more slowly toward Candle Lake." "However, wind and weather conditions can change quickly, and our pre-alert evacuation and voluntary evacuation notices remain in effect," according to the update at 10 a.m. Friday. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) said that resources are being deployed to mitigate the fire, including type 1 and type 2 fire crews, helicopters, local fire departments and heavy equipment. Communities evacuated due to the Shoe fire include Lower Fishing Lake, Piprell Lake, East Trout Lake, Little Bear Lake. Whiteswan/Whelan Bay. Prince Albert National Park limits access Parks Canada has issued a closure for areas within Prince Albert National Park due to the wildfires. It's restricting all backcountry areas in the national park, Kingsmere Road west of Narrows Peninsula Trail; Elk Trail and the Valleyview network of trails, excluding the Valleyview easy and moderate trails; all of Crean Lake, including Crean Kitchen campground and day-use area, excluding Hanging Heart Lakes. Visitors are being asked to respect the closures to reduce the risk of igniting new fires. Power remains out in northeastern Sask. communities SaskPower said in an update that wildfire conditions are disrupting repair work for the outage in some northern communities. Crews have been forced to stop work in Deschambault Lake, Denare Beach, Pelican Narrows, Jan Lake, Creighton, and surrounding areas. As of Friday morning, crews had been unable to resume work in those regions safely. In La Ronge, Southend, Brabant Lake, and McLennan Lake, similar challenges are being reported. SaskPower said Friday that crews are en route to continue repairs to address the outage, but no estimated time of restoration is currently available due to the ongoing wildfire threat. Métis Nation–Saskatchewan declares state of emergency On Friday, the Métis Nation–Saskatchewan (MN–S) also declared a state of emergency, joining the provincial government as more citizens are forced to flee their homes with little or no notice. "These wildfires are spreading so unpredictably, and citizens are being evacuated with little or no notice and no destination in place. They're leaving behind their homes and their livelihoods with little more than uncertainty ahead," MN–S president Glen McCallum said in a statement. The MN–S government said it has mounted response teams to assist in fire zones, is providing culturally grounded services where possible, and is co-ordinating with provincial and federal partners to ensure Métis citizens have access to support. Federal response to wildfires Saskatchewan is under a provincial state of emergency due to wildfires. That means the province can access more resources and call for support from different levels of the government. Eleanor Olszewski, the federal minister of emergency management, said in an interview with CBC News Network on Friday that Manitoba has called for a "request for assistance" from the federal government, but Saskatchewan has not made a similar request yet. She said that the Royal Canadian Air Force is helping those remote communities in Manitoba evacuate to Winnipeg. "I did speak with my counterpart, my provincial counterpart Tim McLeod, this afternoon and he advised me that the situation in Saskatchewan is manageable at the present time," she said. "In the event that federal resources are required, we're absolutely prepared to step up and help," Olszewski said. The premier said the province requests different resources from different locations, depending on the need. "It's about the resource that you actually require.... The federal government traditionally doesn't have water bombing support. If they did, we would be requesting," he said. Moe said the final decision of making a call for a "request for assistance" is in the hands of SPSA president Marlo Pritchard and vice-president of operations Steve Roberts. "It's definitely a part of that contingency planning, but it is one of the last steps," Pritchard told reporters. Creighton Fire The Cub fire north of Creighton is at 25,000 hectares as of Saturday afternoon. Officials said it is very close to the community and there was significant 'action' last night due to southern winds. "The priority is to continue to protect the communities of Creighton and Denare Beach," Pritchard said. He said that numerous fire departments, including volunteer firefighters, have been sent to those communities to help protect them. Up-to-date info on active fires, smoke and related topics is available at these sources:
