Saskatchewan getting help from Quebec to fight wildfires

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) said Friday it’s getting some help from another province to fight wildfires in northern regions.

The SPSA says Quebec is providing two water bombers to help battle the fires.

“These tankers are en route to Saskatchewan and we expect them to be integrated into our fleet this weekend,” SPSA president Marlo Pritchard said during a briefing Friday. “These tankers will be available for the next two weeks, but we have an opportunity to extend their stay if required.”

The planes will be based out of La Ronge and be deployed as needed. Two pilots and two engineers will accompany the planes.

Heading into the May long weekend, the SPSA said there were 26 active wildfires burning throughout the province as of 1:30 p.m. Friday.

That was an increase of one from 24 hours earlier.

Of the fires burning, 11 were under assessment, nine were listed under control, five were considered out of control and one was classified as protecting property.

All of the wildfires were in the northern part of the province.

For those heading out this long weekend, fire bans are in place for The Battlefords, Meadow Lake and Wakaw areas and several provincial parks to the province’s east.

A full list of active fire bans can be found here.

“We continue to remind people to take extreme caution, especially when on or near dry grass or when operating all-terrain vehicles,” Pritchard added.

Special air quality statements remained in place for areas of the province, and smoke was expected to blow into other regions later Friday.

Road updates

As of 11:30 a.m. Friday, there was only one highway in the province closed because of wildfires.

Highway 165 from its junction with Highway 910 to the junction with Highway 914 was closed. Signage has been set up to keep people away.

The SPSA said it’s also continuing to ensure people in those northern remote communities have the proper supplies like food and fuel in order to get by.

Because of the long weekend, the SPSA is asking people to stay away from the areas being impacted directly by the fires.

“When possible, please avoid travel to the impacted areas in the north at this time,” Pritchard said.

Most of the highways that were closed Thursday had been reopened to traffic Friday.

Government assistance coming

The provincial government announced Friday it will offer financial support to residents of northern Saskatchewan who were without power from Sunday at about 3 p.m. to Wednesday at 1:15 a.m.

“We recognize the impact that recent power outages have had on communities already facing hardships due to wildfires and extreme weather,” Corrections, Policing and Public Safety Minister Christine Tell said in a media release.

“The lengthy interruption in power caused a lot of food to spoil. These funds will provide relief to residents and communities who do not originally qualify for support through the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP).”

The funds will be issued directly to communities from the SPSA and then paid out by community leadership to residents who had food spoil. The maximum payment is $100.

People in Buffalo Narrows, Garson Lake, Dillon (Buffalo River Dene Nation), Turnor Lake, Birch Narrows First Nation, La Loche, Clearwater River Dene Nation, Descharme Lake, St. George’s Hill, Michel Village, Bear Creek and Black Point are eligible.

The government said people who own a cabin or secondary property that was affected by the outages but who don’t live in one of the eligible communities should call PDAP at 1-866-632-4033.