Timber Bay evacuated from wildfires, residents return to Canoe Lake
Firefighters in the province have made little gains on controlling the wildfires scorching northern communities during a dry, hot period.
The latest community under evacuation orders: Timber Bay residents were alerted Sunday morning to leave immediately, according to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA).
The order was issued Sunday at 10:55 a.m. for the 81-person hamlet that straddles the east shore of Montreal Lake.
Residents were told to self-evacuate by driving 490 kilometres south to Regina on Highway 969 and Highway 2, and to meet SPSA staff at the Meridian Inn and Suites at 3800 Harbour Landing Drive.
The largest active blaze in the province is known as the Shoe fire, located east of Timber Bay. As of Sunday, it was 305,000 hectares in size and has moved north, said SPSA vice-president of operations Steve Roberts at a Sunday news conference.
The fire has also put the communities of Molanosa, East Trout Lake, Whelan Bay, Narrow Hills and Little Bear on evacuation alert, added the SPSA.
A mix of high daytime temperatures, warm evenings and high winds has presented challenges to the teams fighting to contain the blazes around the province.
'This (weather) will drastically impact our ability to contain some of these fires and will actually cause some of these fires to grow in size over the next period of time,' Roberts said.
The public safety agency says the estimated number of evacuees is still around 8,000, and ihopes to keep that number stable.
An estimated 250 to 500 residents in the Canoe Lake area were told it was safe to return to their homes on Sunday.
'Our crews were able to contain that fire and prevent it from encroaching on the (Canoe Lake) community, even though it did near the community. The biggest concern is it was blocking the only access in and out of the community,' said Roberts about the return of residents to Canoe Lake.
The SPSA said it was dealing with 15 active wildfires as of noon Sunday, with one struck off the roster from the day before.
Eight of those fires are still not contained. Those spots are spread across the central and eastern parts of the province from Weyakwin to Creighton.
Four fires are contained in central and western regions, with SPSA making gains to extinguish a contained fire from Saturday.
Two of those wildfires remain under ongoing assessment and one is classified as protecting values.
The province has had 214 wildfires so far in 2025. It's well above the five-year average of 129, according to Roberts.
The Wolf fire, near Denare Beach, 'has grown significantly,' Roberts said. Meanwhile the Pelican 2 fire near Pelican Narrows was 'aggressively moving last night' south and eastward, restricting highway access. The fire activity near Creighton was also estimated to grow on Sunday.
Métis Nation–Saskatchewan (MN–S) joined the provincial government on Saturday in declaring a state of emergency, with plans to provide supports to its displaced citizens.
'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 Saturday in a statement.
The MN–S said response teams will work alongside provincial and federal partners to ensure Métis people fleeing the wildfires have access to 'culturally-grounded services, supplies and shelter.'
'Our citizens are the heart of our nation,' McCallum said. 'We must be able to respond to their needs so that when they arrive at safe locations, they are welcomed with as many comforts from home as we can provide.'
The provincial Métis council will work to amplify critical updates and provide supports on the ground wherever most helpful, it said.
Saskatchewan premier says more evacuations likely if current weather persists
'These are devastating': Dispatches on the Saskatchewan wildfire situation
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