Latest news with #LaRonge
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Thick smoke to linger in Sask. until Friday
Saskatchewan has been inundated with a thick blanket of smoke this week from wildfires that continue to rage on in the province's north. It looks like the haze may be sticking around for a few days. Strong northerly winds have pushed smoke from fires burning around La Ronge toward south and central Saskatchewan, prompting air quality warnings throughout the province. Regina, Saskatoon and surrounding communities, and La Ronge and surrounding communities are under air quality warnings as of Tuesday, the most severe level of air quality alert. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) confirmed that as winds from the north continue pushing smoke south, the situation may only worsen in the coming days, with no relief in store until Friday. "It looks like it's gonna linger for a couple days," Crawford Luke, a meteorologist with ECCC, said. "There's just a huge amount of smoke up north. Anytime we get into these northerly winds, unfortunately we're kind of stuck with it." Luke said a strong southerly wind is needed to keep smoke away from communities in the south. A shift in wind direction is forecasted to begin late Thursday and into Friday. Air quality alerts are likely to remain in place until then. Rainfall isn't enough to dissipate smoke Rainfall began in the province Saturday and scattered showers have continued throughout the week. Despite Saskatoon receiving 52 mm of rain since Saturday, air quality in the city remains at its worst. Luke said that although rain can help alleviate smoky skies, it can also sometimes have the opposite effect. "With rain, sometimes it can clear things out for a little bit. Other times the rain, as it's falling through the atmosphere, can actually bring down smoke from higher up in the atmosphere, so you don't actually end up cleaning the air." Luke said people in south and central Saskatchewan should limit their time outdoors as much as possible until the smoke dissipates Friday. "If people have things that they're hoping to do around the house or around the yard that's outside, [ideally] they're able to hold off until Thursday evening or Friday to do those things."
CBC
22-07-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Thick smoke to linger in Sask. until Friday
Saskatchewan has been inundated with a thick blanket of smoke this week from wildfires that continue to rage on in the province's north. It looks like the haze may be sticking around for a few days. Strong northerly winds have pushed smoke from fires burning around La Ronge toward south and central Saskatchewan, prompting air quality warnings throughout the province. Regina, Saskatoon and surrounding communities, and La Ronge and surrounding communities are under air quality warnings as of Tuesday, the most severe level of air quality alert. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) confirmed that as winds from the north continue pushing smoke south, the situation may only worsen in the coming days, with no relief in store until Friday. "It looks like it's gonna linger for a couple days," Crawford Luke, a meteorologist with ECCC, said. "There's just a huge amount of smoke up north. Anytime we get into these northerly winds, unfortunately we're kind of stuck with it." Luke said a strong southerly wind is needed to keep smoke away from communities in the south. A shift in wind direction is forecasted to begin late Thursday and into Friday. Air quality alerts are likely to remain in place until then. Rainfall isn't enough to dissipate smoke Rainfall began in the province Saturday and scattered showers have continued throughout the week. Despite Saskatoon receiving 52 mm of rain since Saturday, air quality in the city remains at its worst. Luke said that although rain can help alleviate smoky skies, it can also sometimes have the opposite effect. "With rain, sometimes it can clear things out for a little bit. Other times the rain, as it's falling through the atmosphere, can actually bring down smoke from higher up in the atmosphere, so you don't actually end up cleaning the air." Luke said people in south and central Saskatchewan should limit their time outdoors as much as possible until the smoke dissipates Friday. "If people have things that they're hoping to do around the house or around the yard that's outside, [ideally] they're able to hold off until Thursday evening or Friday to do those things."
CTV News
20-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
‘We're going to have to rebuild our life': Family's home burns after cancelling home insurance
As wildfires destroy homes and structures, many face mounting uninsured losses. Allison Bamford reports on the growing financial toll. Loading the player instance is taking more time than usual Loading the player instance is taking more time than usual Tessa Santana faced an unthinkable dilemma last year. Does she pay for house insurance or feed her family? 'We weren't in a good place,' Santana told CTV News. 'It's not that I never had house insurance. Last year was tough financially on us.' Santana, a mother and grandmother, opted to cancel her insurance, never imagining the following year her northern Saskatchewan community would be threatened by wildfires. Their home of 20 years, where they watched their kids and grandkids grow, burned down just north of La Ronge in early June. The fire killed most of their animals, including their two dogs and a donkey. 'That's something I've got to live with,' she said. 'We're going to have to rebuild our life.' Today, Sanatana and her husband Leonardo find themselves three hours south in Rosthern, Sask., at the Valley Regional Park Campground. They've been living in their trailer with their 11-year-old dog Coco for the last six weeks. 'We love camping. It feels like an extended camping trip,' she said. 'However, then when reality does hit you and you're like, 'this is our home.'' Santana still gets emotional at times. But she says they are fortunate to have the things they do. There's a TV and reclining chairs in the trailer. They've converted the shower into a closet for storage, and at night they sleep in a king-sized bed. 'We are not really just camping. We are glamping,' she said. 'We're making it as homey as we can.' But it's hard to settle in, she said. At their current site, they have extension cords running from the trailer to an outlet at the site over for power access. They've had to move campsites several times due to other park bookings. 'It's tiring, it really is. But we're thankful we got to move within Rosthern Regional Park and we didn't have to go and finding something else,' she said. The Santanas don't know where they'll end up. The campground will be their home for the summer, but they hope to at least be renting a place by the time the snow flies. Leonardo, who had retired from the mining industry, will return to work Monday. The couple is saving up to buy or build a new home one day. When they do get a house, insurance will be a top priority, Santana said. And she hopes they won't ever be put in this position again. 'But if it ever came down to it again, feeding my family or buying insurance, every time I'm going to feed my family,' Santana said. The insurance gap The Santanas are not alone. Several insurance brokers told CTV News they've received calls from uninsured and underinsured clients who've lost property this wildfire season. A rule of thumb, known as the insurance gap, suggests that for every $1 in insured losses, there are $3 to $4 in uninsured losses borne by homeowners, businesses and governments. Last year was the costliest year on record for severe weather-related losses in Canada, reaching $8.5 billion in insured losses. Following the insurance gap rule, that puts uninsured losses between $25.5 billion to $34 billion. 'For government, that's money coming out of budgets for hospitals, schools and infrastructure development. For businesses, that's money coming out of budgets for business expansion, equipment upgrades and employee compensation,' said Kathryn Bakos, managing director of finance and resilience at the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation. Bakos said losses can be less if adaptations are made prior to an extreme weather event, including moving combustible materials away from the house and using fire resistant siding and roofing. 'If you put what's called fire smart actions into place, 15 actions around the house, you could potentially reduce the chance of your home burning down by 50 to 75 per cent,' Bakos said.
CTV News
20-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
Family struggling with finances cancelled their home insurance. A year later, their house burned down in a wildfire
Tessa and Leonardo Santana have made the Rosthern, Sask., campground their temporary home, while they search for a new place to live. Tessa Santana faced an unthinkable dilemma last year. Does she pay for house insurance or feed her family? 'We weren't in a good place,' Santana told CTV News. 'It's not that I never had house insurance. Last year was tough financially on us.' Santana, a mother and grandmother, opted to cancel her insurance, never imagining the following year her northern Saskatchewan community would be threatened by wildfires. Their home of 20 years, where they watched their kids and grandkids grow, burned down just north of La Ronge in early June. The fire killed most of their animals, including their two dogs and a donkey. 'That's something I've got to live with,' she said. 'We're going to have to rebuild our life.' Today, Sanatana and her husband Leonardo find themselves three hours south in Rosthern, Sask., at the Valley Regional Park Campground. They've been living in their trailer with their 11-year-old dog Coco for the last six weeks. 'We love camping. It feels like an extended camping trip,' she said. 'However, then when reality does hit you and you're like, 'this is our home.'' Santana still gets emotional at times. But she says they are fortunate to have the things they do. There's a TV and reclining chairs in the trailer. They've converted the shower into a closet for storage, and at night they sleep in a king-sized bed. 'We are not really just camping. We are glamping,' she said. 'We're making it as homey as we can.' But it's hard to settle in, she said. At their current site, they have extension cords running from the trailer to an outlet at the site over for power access. They've had to move campsites several times due to other park bookings. 'It's tiring, it really is. But we're thankful we got to move within Rosthern Regional Park and we didn't have to go and finding something else,' she said. The Santanas don't know where they'll end up. The campground will be their home for the summer, but they hope to at least be renting a place by the time the snow flies. Leonardo, who had retired from the mining industry, will return to work Monday. The couple is saving up to buy or build a new home one day. When they do get a house, insurance will be a top priority, Santana said. And she hopes they won't ever be put in this position again. 'But if it ever came down to it again, feeding my family or buying insurance, every time I'm going to feed my family,' Santana said. The insurance gap The Santanas are not alone. Several insurance brokers told CTV News they've received calls from uninsured and underinsured clients who've lost property this wildfire season. A rule of thumb, known as the insurance gap, suggests that for every $1 in insured losses, there are $3 to $4 in uninsured losses borne by homeowners, businesses and governments. Last year was the costliest year on record for severe weather-related losses in Canada, reaching $8.5 billion in insured losses. Following the insurance gap rule, that puts uninsured losses between $25.5 billion to $34 billion. 'For government, that's money coming out of budgets for hospitals, schools and infrastructure development. For businesses, that's money coming out of budgets for business expansion, equipment upgrades and employee compensation,' said Kathryn Bakos, managing director of finance and resilience at the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation. Bakos said losses can be less if adaptations are made prior to an extreme weather event, including moving combustible materials away from the house and using fire resistant siding and roofing. 'If you put what's called fire smart actions into place, 15 actions around the house, you could potentially reduce the chance of your home burning down by 50 to 75 per cent,' Bakos said.
CTV News
09-07-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Northern Sask. community of Patuanak declares state of emergency due to wildfires
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.
