Sandy Bay evacuation continues as wildfire continues to burn

By Nigel Maxwell

Nearly two weeks after a lightning strike sparked a massive fire in northeastern Saskatchewan, more than 1,400 members of a nearby Indigenous community remain displaced.

According to Monday’s update from the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation, the majority of the children and adults from Sandy Bay remain spread out across hotels in Prince Albert and Saskatoon.

READ MORE:

• Public Safety Agency shares update on fire threatening Sandy Bay
• First Nation slams public safety agency as Sandy Bay evacuated due to fire
• Saskatchewan First Nation calls for help after community evacuated due to wildfire

Caroline Bear, 73, is an elder from Sandy Bay. She told paNOW she can’t wait to go home.

“I’ve got enough to get by, like everything is taken care of. All I can say is I’m glad I have a roof, a bed and a meal,” she said.

The fire near the community remains uncontained and continues to burn. The evacuation alert remains in place.

The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency said that although the fire is burning away from the community, it remains volatile and poses a significant risk. There is no rain in the forecast until at least Thursday.

Meanwhile Bear’s children and grandchildren are staying at a separate hotel in Saskatoon, and Bear acknowledged that while she talks to them every day, she still worries about them.

“I don’t know when we are going home. At least I pray every day I have a home to go home to,” Bear said.

Earlier this month, due to wildfire smoke, over 100 residents of Deschambault Lake made the voluntary decision to leave their community.

On Monday, the regional air quality advisory was rescinded.

The medical health officer for the Northern Intertribal Health Authority provided a letter, supporting the return of some community members. Plans are underway to support the return, and community members can expect to be contacted.

As of Tuesday, there were 69 active wildfires in the province, and 11 were not contained.

So far this year there have been 530 wildfires in Saskatchewan, well above the five-year average of 347.