Latest news with #northernSaskatchewan
CTV News
5 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Canadian Armed Forces to stay one more week in Saskatchewan to fight wildfires
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) says the recent scattered rain brought little relief to the wildfire situation and it has asked the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to extend their stay in the province to continue fighting the blaze. About 300 Canadian Armed Forces members have been deployed to fight the wildfire in northern Saskatchewan for the past two weeks. 'We still have 300 Armed Forces personnel here in the province. They have we're here for two weeks, and we have asked and received a one-week extension for them to remain with us, to continue their efforts,' SPSA Vice President of Operations Steve Roberts said in a media briefing Wednesday afternoon. As of Wednesday afternoon, 81 active wildfires were burning in the province, with only seven considered contained, according to the SPSA. This year, the province has battled a total of 448 wildfires, surpassing the five-year average of 354 and impacting about 2.3 million hectares of land. 'So overall, so far this year, very busy. At this point in time, 2.3 million hectares have been impacted by wildfire. So far this year, currently, there are four highways impacted for travel. That's highway 955, north of La Loche, Highway 914 to Pinehouse, Highway 918 from Beauval to Patuanak, and Highway 916, which travels across the northern part of Prince Albert National Park.' According to SPSA, out-of-province resources are still in Saskatchewan fighting the wildfire, including teams from Quebec, Mexico, Australia, British Columbia, Ontario, and Prince Edward Island. Roberts says 13 communities remain under evacuation order with 3,000 people displaced. The number of structures impacted this year totals 2,160, with two additional ones in the past two weeks.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Experts say Sask. wildfires could remain ablaze until snowfall
Wildfires continue to rage in northern Saskatchewan as the province faces its worst fire season in more than a decade. Increasingly warmer-than-average spring temperatures, prolonged periods without rain and strong gusting winds have only exacerbated the situation. One thing is clear: no matter how many firefighters are sent to control the growing fires, it's up to mother nature to put out the flames. Dry leaves, twigs and pine needles on forest floors act as a base for wildfires to ignite, and northern Saskatchewan has experienced a lack of moisture this year. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) confirmed La Ronge had its second driest spring in 60 years. Fire specialists that CBC spoke to said rainfall is the only long-term solution. A low-pressure weather system rolled into the province's north last week, finally bringing some moisture to the area. Some parts got up to 40 mm of rain. But fire specialists warn it's nowhere near enough. "You're almost at 1,000,000 hectares, which is about 40 times the size of Saskatoon," Mike Flannigan, a professor of wildland fire at Thompson Rivers University, told CBC. "It's a huge area that's on fire and it's producing lots of smoke. Every time you get a couple dry days and the wind picks up, you're going to see these fires grow unless we get two weeks of rain, or 100-plus millimetres." If the province did get 100 mm of rain, Flannigan said many of the fires would be put out, but hotspots would still be burning in deeper organic material and on logs in the forest. June is typically Saskatchewan's mini "monsoon" season, where upper lows come through and drop lots of rain at once. Flannigan said at least three of those rainfalls would be needed during the month to provide any tangible relief. Although moisture is needed in the province, the risk of lightning that comes with showers could make things worse. Lightning strikes can spread existing fires or create new ones. "It was a warm dry spring in much of the Prairie provinces and we got some human-caused ignitions. Now we're getting lightning-caused ignitions, it's been windy and the fires are growing," Flannigan said. "The warmer we get, the more lightning we expect." Certain wildfires can even produce a thunderstorm, called a pyrocumulonimbus. Clouds are formed when air is drawn into a smoke plume, becoming more humid, unstable and favourable for the creation of thunderstorms. "We've seen a number of them in Manitoba and Saskatchewan this fire season, more than most years," Flannigan said. "That's a sign that fires are getting more intense and generating these thunderstorms, which can also produce hail, rain [and] lightning." Thunderstorms also bring strong, gusting winds, another factor that can make matters worse. Strong winds can push fires faster than they'd normally grow, which makes them more difficult to suppress, and create a dryer atmosphere. "Strong winds can help dry out things like grasses or your smaller twigs more quickly," Liam Bouchard, a fire weather specialist with the Canadian Forest Service, told CBC. The only positive to wind gusts is they can sometimes push smoke out of communities. Experts warn the rest of the summer may be hot and dry, conditions favourable for the continuation of wildfires. "[If] these heat waves come back, there is potential for very warm temperatures as we are approaching the middle of summer," Bouchard said. High temperatures and a lack of rain could mean some fires may not be fully extinguished all season. "I'm afraid that some of these fires will burn through the summer into fall," Flannigan said. "It'll be winter that puts out most of these fires. And in fact, sometimes fires can burn right through the winter." The phenomenon is known as an overwintering fire, in which fires continue burning underground throughout the winter. Sometimes when fires are burning in deeper organic material, they can go underground and smolder very slowly. Even as snow falls on the forest floor, organic material continues smoldering underneath the surface. "Spring 2026 comes, the snow melts, it warms up and the fire smolders back to the surface and starts spreading," Flannigan said. "So that's a concern." If overwintering fires occur this year, the next wildfire season could be even worse. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) confirmed to CBC that overwintering fires occurred in both 2017 and 2024. "These fires are remediated very early in the spring, so they don't become a problem later," the SPSA said. The agency said it's too early yet to say if overwintering fires will occur this year and that it depends on the amount of rainfall received as the summer goes on. With ECCC predicting above average temperatures, the chance of fires continuing remains a strong possibility. "Much of Canada, particularly in the Prairies, experienced dry conditions," ECCC told CBC. "These conditions, in combination with the high likelihood of a warmer-than-normal summer, could increase the risk of wildfires in the coming months." Projection maps from ECCC show that parts of northeastern Saskatchewan have a 90 to 100 per cent chance of seeing above-normal temperatures this summer. It's not clear by how many degrees temperatures will be above average. "The scientific consensus right now is that warming temperatures and climate change are really priming the atmosphere, priming the forest for more fires in the future," Bouchard said.
CBC
14-06-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Experts say Sask. wildfires could remain ablaze until snowfall
Wildfires continue to rage in northern Saskatchewan as the province faces its worst fire season in more than a decade. Increasingly warmer-than-average spring temperatures, prolonged periods without rain and strong gusting winds have only exacerbated the situation. Low on power or data? Use CBC Lite for the latest on wildfires One thing is clear: no matter how many firefighters are sent to control the growing fires, it's up to mother nature to put out the flames. Dry leaves, twigs and pine needles on forest floors act as a base for wildfires to ignite, and northern Saskatchewan has experienced a lack of moisture this year. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) confirmed La Ronge had its second driest spring in 60 years. Fire specialists that CBC spoke to said rainfall is the only long-term solution. How much rainfall is needed? A low-pressure weather system rolled into the province's north last week, finally bringing some moisture to the area. Some parts got up to 40 mm of rain. But fire specialists warn it's nowhere near enough. "You're almost at 1,000,000 hectares, which is about 40 times the size of Saskatoon," Mike Flannigan, a professor of wildland fire at Thompson Rivers University, told CBC. "It's a huge area that's on fire and it's producing lots of smoke. Every time you get a couple dry days and the wind picks up, you're going to see these fires grow unless we get two weeks of rain, or 100-plus millimetres." If the province did get 100 mm of rain, Flannigan said many of the fires would be put out, but hotspots would still be burning in deeper organic material and on logs in the forest. June is typically Saskatchewan's mini "monsoon" season, where upper lows come through and drop lots of rain at once. Flannigan said at least three of those rainfalls would be needed during the month to provide any tangible relief. Thunderstorms, wind can lead to spread Although moisture is needed in the province, the risk of lightning that comes with showers could make things worse. Lightning strikes can spread existing fires or create new ones. "It was a warm dry spring in much of the Prairie provinces and we got some human-caused ignitions. Now we're getting lightning-caused ignitions, it's been windy and the fires are growing," Flannigan said. "The warmer we get, the more lightning we expect." Certain wildfires can even produce a thunderstorm, called a pyrocumulonimbus. Clouds are formed when air is drawn into a smoke plume, becoming more humid, unstable and favourable for the creation of thunderstorms. "We've seen a number of them in Manitoba and Saskatchewan this fire season, more than most years," Flannigan said. "That's a sign that fires are getting more intense and generating these thunderstorms, which can also produce hail, rain [and] lightning." Thunderstorms also bring strong, gusting winds, another factor that can make matters worse. Strong winds can push fires faster than they'd normally grow, which makes them more difficult to suppress, and create a dryer atmosphere. "Strong winds can help dry out things like grasses or your smaller twigs more quickly," Liam Bouchard, a fire weather specialist with the Canadian Forest Service, told CBC. The only positive to wind gusts is they can sometimes push smoke out of communities. Experts say fires may burn until snowfall Experts warn the rest of the summer may be hot and dry, conditions favourable for the continuation of wildfires. "[If] these heat waves come back, there is potential for very warm temperatures as we are approaching the middle of summer," Bouchard said. High temperatures and a lack of rain could mean some fires may not be fully extinguished all season. "I'm afraid that some of these fires will burn through the summer into fall," Flannigan said. "It'll be winter that puts out most of these fires. And in fact, sometimes fires can burn right through the winter." The phenomenon is known as an overwintering fire, in which fires continue burning underground throughout the winter. Sometimes when fires are burning in deeper organic material, they can go underground and smolder very slowly. Even as snow falls on the forest floor, organic material continues smoldering underneath the surface. "Spring 2026 comes, the snow melts, it warms up and the fire smolders back to the surface and starts spreading," Flannigan said. "So that's a concern." If overwintering fires occur this year, the next wildfire season could be even worse. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) confirmed to CBC that overwintering fires occurred in both 2017 and 2024. "These fires are remediated very early in the spring, so they don't become a problem later," the SPSA said. The agency said it's too early yet to say if overwintering fires will occur this year and that it depends on the amount of rainfall received as the summer goes on. Hot summer ahead With ECCC predicting above average temperatures, the chance of fires continuing remains a strong possibility. "Much of Canada, particularly in the Prairies, experienced dry conditions," ECCC told CBC. "These conditions, in combination with the high likelihood of a warmer-than-normal summer, could increase the risk of wildfires in the coming months." Projection maps from ECCC show that parts of northeastern Saskatchewan have a 90 to 100 per cent chance of seeing above-normal temperatures this summer. It's not clear by how many degrees temperatures will be above average. "The scientific consensus right now is that warming temperatures and climate change are really priming the atmosphere, priming the forest for more fires in the future," Bouchard said.
National Post
04-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
Northern Saskatchewan Operations Update
Article content SASKATOON, Saskatchewan — Cameco (TSX: CCO; NYSE: CCJ) is continuing its operations at its northern Saskatchewan sites amidst wildfires that are impacting parts of the province. Article content Currently, there are no fires in the vicinity of Cameco's operations at Cigar Lake, Key Lake, McArthur River and Rabbit Lake. There is no risk to our sites, and they remain safe for staff. Orano's McClean Lake mill remains operational. Article content We are managing some temporary disruptions due to wildfires impacting power and communication services to our operations. Road closures have also impeded some deliveries to sites. Article content Most importantly, Cameco has many employees who are from northern communities threatened by wildfires or under evacuation orders. We are accommodating their requests to leave site to tend to family and provide aid to their home communities. Article content As our sites continue to operate, the safety of our staff is our top priority. We are taking measures to minimize the impact of the disruptions, including making operational adjustments as we manage the availability of employees. At this time, our annual production target remains unchanged. Article content Caution about forward-looking information Article content This news release includes statements and information about our expectations for the future, which we refer to as forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is based on our current views, which can change significantly, and actual results and events may be significantly different from what we currently expect. Examples of forward-looking information in this news release include: the proximity of wildfires to Cameco's operations; risks of wildfires to our sites and the safety of our staff; temporary disruptions to power, communications systems and roads due to wildfires; accommodation of employee requests to leave site to tend to family and provide aid to their home communities; operational adjustments; and annual production targets. Material risks that could lead to different results include: spread of wildfires to the vicinity of our operations; increased disruptions to power, communication services and road access due to wildfires; increased employee requests to leave site due to wildfires; the risk that we may not be able to achieve planned production levels within the expected timeframes, or that the costs involved in doing so exceed our expectations; risks related to JV Inkai's development or production, including the risk that JV Inkai is unable to transport and deliver its production; and the risks to our business associated with potential production disruptions, including those related to wildfires, global supply chain disruptions, global economic uncertainty, political volatility, labour relations issues, and operating risks. In presenting the forward-looking information, we have made material assumptions which may prove incorrect about: the spread of wildfires; our production, purchases, sales, deliveries and costs; the market conditions and other factors upon which we have based our future plans and forecasts; Inkai production and, our allocation of planned production and timing of deliveries; the success of our plans and strategies, including planned production; the absence of new and adverse government regulations, policies or decisions; that there will not be any significant adverse consequences to our business resulting from production disruptions, including those relating to wildfires, supply disruptions, economic or political uncertainty and volatility, labour relation issues, aging infrastructure, and operating risks. Please also review the discussion in our 2024 annual MD&A and most recent annual information form for other material risks that could cause actual results to differ significantly from our current expectations, and other material assumptions we have made. Forward-looking information is designed to help you understand management's current views of our near-term and longer-term prospects, and it may not be appropriate for other purposes. We will not necessarily update this information unless we are required to by securities laws. Article content Profile Article content Cameco is one of the largest global providers of the uranium fuel needed to power a secure energy future. Our competitive position is based on our controlling ownership of the world's largest high-grade reserves and low-cost operations, as well as significant investments across the nuclear fuel cycle, including ownership interests in Westinghouse Electric Company and Global Laser Enrichment. Utilities around the world rely on Cameco to provide global nuclear fuel solutions for the generation of safe, reliable, carbon-free nuclear power. Our shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges. Our head office is in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Cory Kos Article content Article content 306-716-6782 Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
Globe and Mail
04-06-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Northern Saskatchewan Operations Update
Cameco (TSX: CCO; NYSE: CCJ) is continuing its operations at its northern Saskatchewan sites amidst wildfires that are impacting parts of the province. Currently, there are no fires in the vicinity of Cameco's operations at Cigar Lake, Key Lake, McArthur River and Rabbit Lake. There is no risk to our sites, and they remain safe for staff. Orano's McClean Lake mill remains operational. We are managing some temporary disruptions due to wildfires impacting power and communication services to our operations. Road closures have also impeded some deliveries to sites. Most importantly, Cameco has many employees who are from northern communities threatened by wildfires or under evacuation orders. We are accommodating their requests to leave site to tend to family and provide aid to their home communities. As our sites continue to operate, the safety of our staff is our top priority. We are taking measures to minimize the impact of the disruptions, including making operational adjustments as we manage the availability of employees. At this time, our annual production target remains unchanged. Caution about forward-looking information This news release includes statements and information about our expectations for the future, which we refer to as forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is based on our current views, which can change significantly, and actual results and events may be significantly different from what we currently expect. Examples of forward-looking information in this news release include: the proximity of wildfires to Cameco's operations; risks of wildfires to our sites and the safety of our staff; temporary disruptions to power, communications systems and roads due to wildfires; accommodation of employee requests to leave site to tend to family and provide aid to their home communities; operational adjustments; and annual production targets. Material risks that could lead to different results include: spread of wildfires to the vicinity of our operations; increased disruptions to power, communication services and road access due to wildfires; increased employee requests to leave site due to wildfires; the risk that we may not be able to achieve planned production levels within the expected timeframes, or that the costs involved in doing so exceed our expectations; risks related to JV Inkai's development or production, including the risk that JV Inkai is unable to transport and deliver its production; and the risks to our business associated with potential production disruptions, including those related to wildfires, global supply chain disruptions, global economic uncertainty, political volatility, labour relations issues, and operating risks. In presenting the forward-looking information, we have made material assumptions which may prove incorrect about: the spread of wildfires; our production, purchases, sales, deliveries and costs; the market conditions and other factors upon which we have based our future plans and forecasts; Inkai production and, our allocation of planned production and timing of deliveries; the success of our plans and strategies, including planned production; the absence of new and adverse government regulations, policies or decisions; that there will not be any significant adverse consequences to our business resulting from production disruptions, including those relating to wildfires, supply disruptions, economic or political uncertainty and volatility, labour relation issues, aging infrastructure, and operating risks. Please also review the discussion in our 2024 annual MD&A and most recent annual information form for other material risks that could cause actual results to differ significantly from our current expectations, and other material assumptions we have made. Forward-looking information is designed to help you understand management's current views of our near-term and longer-term prospects, and it may not be appropriate for other purposes. We will not necessarily update this information unless we are required to by securities laws. Profile Cameco is one of the largest global providers of the uranium fuel needed to power a secure energy future. Our competitive position is based on our controlling ownership of the world's largest high-grade reserves and low-cost operations, as well as significant investments across the nuclear fuel cycle, including ownership interests in Westinghouse Electric Company and Global Laser Enrichment. Utilities around the world rely on Cameco to provide global nuclear fuel solutions for the generation of safe, reliable, carbon-free nuclear power. Our shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges. Our head office is in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. As used in this news release, the terms we, us, our, the Company and Cameco mean Cameco Corporation and its subsidiaries unless otherwise indicated.
