Latest news with #PisewFire
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
2 people charged with arson, accused of starting fires in Sask.
While wildfires continue to rage in the province, two Saskatchewan residents are separately charged with arson for allegedly deliberately setting fires. At Friday's daily media briefing, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe announced the charges and said that one of them was for starting one of the province's major wildfires. But in a news release later in the afternoon, the RCMP detailed charges that were laid for two suspicious fires — one that Waskesiu RCMP responded to off Highway 696 on May 30 and one that Nipawin RCMP responded to in a ditch beside the Snowden turnoff on Highway 55 on June 3. Neither of those appear to be related to a major wildfire. The fire that Moe initially referred to, the Ditch fire, near Weyakwin, was reported on May 26. It has grown to 95,000 hectares and appears to be moving very close to the massive Shoe fire — the largest blaze in the province at more than 470,000 hectares. Those fires and others in northern Saskatchewan have forced thousands of residents from their homes. The province declared a state of emergency on May 29 due to the wildfire situation. As of Friday, there were 23 active fires and 248 total fires this year — far above the five-year average of 139. "We understand there is public interest in seeing if any wildfires can be fully or partially attributed to criminal acts," Saskatchewan RCMP wrote in the media release. "Checking into the circumstances of each report of arson received recently will take some time." The 18-year-old woman from Montreal Lake Cree Nation charged in the May 30 fire was scheduled to appear in court in that community on Thursday, while the 36-year-old man from Pelican Narrows charged in the June 3 fire was scheduled to appear in Prince Albert provincial court on Friday. Shifting winds bring fresh wildfire threat to La Ronge Strong winds pushing a wildfire toward the industrial park and Eagle Point areas, just northeast of the town of La Ronge, triggered an alert for the region on Friday morning. The community is already subject to an evacuation order, but any people that haven't left those particular areas were told to get to a safe place. Tammy Cook-Searson, chief of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, said the situation is serious and unpredictable. "The wind has shifted. It's coming in from the southwest right now and it's pushing the fire northeast," she said on Friday morning. Cook-Searson said the Pisew Fire, which began near Hall Lake, has since grown to threaten several surrounding communities. There have been significant structure losses in both Hall Lake, west of La Ronge, and Sucker River, north of La Ronge, due to the fire. "The fire is less than two kilometres just north of Sucker River and it's heading northeast," she said. "And then there's also the fire that has reached Clam Bridge, where the bridge has burnt and the structure has been lost there, and it's moving northwest." Cook-Searson confirmed that both Highway 2 and Highway 102 are currently closed and impassable due to wildfire activity. Any people still in La Ronge are being directed to the Jonas Roberts Memorial Community Centre, which is serving as the local muster point. "Right now it's unpredictable," Cook-Searson said. "The flames were pretty big this morning just before 5 a.m. right behind the fire base on the Industrial Road in the town of La Ronge."Cook-Searson said emergency crews are working hard to hold the line. "We are expecting rain starting at noon today," she added. "So hopefully it materializes and fingers crossed that we do get that rain — much needed rain — because the fires are burning out of control." Residents are urged to stay away from the area and continue following evacuation guidance from local officials and emergency services. As thousands evacuated La Ronge due to an advancing wildfire, some residents made the difficult decision to stay behind — hoping to protect their homes and keep watch over their community. Terry Hunt is one of them. Speaking to CBC Radio's Blue Sky, Hunt said he remained in La Ronge to defend his property and voiced concerns about what he sees as an inadequate provincial response. "We're in a pretty tough situation up here, and I'm feeling that our provincial government is not doing enough to help us out," Hunt said. Hunt said the community was without power and alleged there had been looting. RCMP confirmed one report of looting in a news release Friday, saying officers stopped a vehicle at a checkpoint on Highway 2 on Wednesday that had been stolen from La Ronge and found items in it that were linked to a theft in the community the day before. Two men were charged. Police say officers are regularly patrolling evacuated communities as part of wildfire response efforts. Still, Hunt believes more boots on the ground — including military support — are urgently needed. "I think we need more police on the ground, which includes the armed forces coming up here," he said. Despite the hardship and danger, some evacuees have found small ways to stay hopeful. Some drivers fleeing La Ronge earlier in the week were forced to wait for hours on the highway due to smoke and fire. That's where Terri Roberts and others met up with a friend — whose granddaughter was having a birthday. They brought the cake along, and sang right there on the roadside. "She was holding her cake and we all started singing Happy Birthday to her outside of the car.… I've never experienced something like that, but it was pretty emotional," Roberts said. "She was just full of smiles and we could see she was quite appreciative of what we did for her." Roberts says they eventually made it south to info on active fires, smoke and related topics is available at these sources:
CTV News
3 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
‘A moccasin is not just a slipper': Sask. wildfire destroys historic La Ronge Trading Post
A fast-moving wildfire has destroyed the historic Robertson Trading Post in La Ronge, Saskatchewan. Flames swept into the northern town Tuesday night, engulfing the iconic trading post and neighbouring RONA store. Video posted to social media shows both buildings ablaze as ground crews and firefighting helicopters battle the flames. Despite not being fully operational, Robertson Trading held hundreds of pieces of Indigenous art and historical artifacts. 'We are filled with regret that we weren't able to save the artwork,' the family business wrote in a Facebook post. 'Let this tragedy be a reminder to all that a moccasin is not just a slipper, that a beaded cardholder or keychain is not just a practical accessory; please hold your own pieces of indigenous art close to your heart. Protect them.' The Pisew Fire has grown to 83,000 hectares — more than three times the size of Saskatoon. It breached the La Ronge airport and destroyed the province's air tanker base. 'We are up against a monster. The last 24 hours have been chaotic,' the La Ronge fire department posted on Facebook, thanking private contractors and volunteers. 'We are doing the best we can fighting for our communities.' An evacuation order was issued for La Ronge, Air Ronge and the Lac La Ronge Indian Band on Monday evening. About 400 structures have been destroyed in Saskatchewan wildfires and officials estimate about 15,000 people have been forced to leave their homes It is the driest spring on record for La Ronge. The area has received just 18 millimetres of rain over the past three months — far below the 100 millimetres it typically gets, according to Environment Canada. Saskatchewan's largest wildfire — the Shoe Fire — has burned about 470,000 hectares and is less than 14 kilometres from Candle Lake.
National Post
30-05-2025
- Climate
- National Post
What you need to know about the Saskatchewan wildfires
Thousands of people in Saskatchewan have been forced to leave their homes and flee to nearby cities as massive wildfires have ravaged through communities and campgrounds, and blocked off highways for evacuation routes. Here's what we know as of Friday morning about the wildfires … Article content Article content Communities under evacuation orders include Pelican Narrows, Hall Lake, Brabant Lake, Canoe Lake, Lower Fishing Lake, Piprell Lake, East Trout Lake, Little Bear Lake and Whiteswan Bay. Additional communities also facing evacuation orders include Narrow Hills Provincial Park, the Resort division of Trout Lake, Smeaton, Choiceland, Love, Creighton, Sikachu Lake Clam bridge, and Flin Flon, Man. Article content Provincewide, Saskatchewan declared a state of emergency in its fight against the rampaging wildfires. The declaration by Premier Scott Moe came one day after his Manitoba counterpart Wab Kinew did the same. Article content Article content 'We do need some rainfall. We need that sooner rather than later, and in light of that not being in the forecast, we most certainly are putting in place every measure possible to prepare the province.' Article content Notable fires include the Shoe Lake fire in Narrow Hills provincial park, which combined with the Camp fire, approximately 140 kilometers northeast of Prince Albert. The fire, which orginated in early May, has grown to over 216,000 hectares. Article content The Pisew fire, located west of La Ronge., is growing out-of-control at over 55,873 hectares. The blaze is around 250 kilometres north of Prince Albert. Article content The Flin Flon fire, located on the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border near Creighton, started at a landfill before crossing over the Manitoba border. It has grown to over 20,000 hectares. The area remains under a state of emergency with up to 125 firefighters deployed. Article content Located west of Denare Beach, and threatening the McIlveena mine, the Wolf fire has burned over 6,385 hectares. Article content Burning northeast of Pelican Narrows, Sask. 120 kilometres northwest of Creighton, the Pelican 2 fire has grown to over 2,000 hectares. Article content In the community of Weyakwin and Weyakwin Lake, located around 150 kilometres north of Prince Albert, the Ditch02 fire has burnt through over 1,250 hectares. The fire is classified as human-caused.
