More than 100 people flee to La Ronge as wildfires close in
With more than 100 wildfires burning around Saskatchewan, communities are preparing themselves in case things take a turn, especially as temperatures are set to increase through the week.
“The general situation for La Ronge and area is we have multiple fires in our communities,” said Maruice Ratt, emergency response coordinator for the Lac La Ronge Indian Band.
“Our main concerns are for Grandmothers Bay and Stanley Mission as they have fires less than 10 kilometres from each community.
“Voluntary evacuations for higher needs people, that’s the priority groups that we have in La Ronge right now. We do have an alert issued out for Stanley Mission as well for evacuation. We are not sure if we will we evacuate at full scale yet, we are waiting for updates from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency to help us make decisions with that.”
Ratt said 114 people have been voluntarily relocated to the Jonas Roberts Memorial Community Centre in La Ronge from Grandmothers Bay and Stanley Mission.
“Mostly in the evenings the smoke drops and becomes worse. Our concern is for people with respiratory problems, so we focus on them and making sure they are comfortable,” Ratt said.
Ratt said they are keeping an eye on the weather as well as the fires as they wait to make any decisions.
”Depending on the wind conditions and the fire conditions, if they flare up to be a threat to the community, then yes, we will do evacuations right away,” Ratt said.
MELFORT MONITORS CONDITIONS
Air quality alerts have been issued in several areas by Environment Canada in the province such as La Ronge, La Loche, Melfort, and Prince Albert.
Brent Lutz, director of development, planning, and community relations for the City of Melfort, said things have been hazy lately, but things have started to clear up over the past few days.
“Right now we are registering a level three, which is a low risk. We’ve been as high as five. For people that have respiratory problems, seniors, some children, at those times it may have some effect on them.
“Skies are fairly clear in the community, there is very little evidence of wildfires, but that may change if the wind changes direction,” Lutz said.
With how hot the summer has been so far, Lutz said Melfort has been trying to keep on top of the situation before any fires arise in the area.
“Certainly it’s been dry and we’ve had fire bans on at various times already this spring, and continue to watch the conditions for risk of fire,” Lutz said.
Premier Scott Moe addressed the wildfire situation, hoping for rain like many communities in the province while applauding work being done in the sky and on the ground to battle the fires.
“It would be fantastic if we had a change in the weather for a few days, not only for our forest fire situation but also for our agricultural industry as well. We could desperately use a soaker, a few inches of rain here,” Moe said.
“All of the air tankers are hard at work as well. I think the effectiveness of the work they do alongside our ground firefighters is evident around the Cigar Lake area.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Her SUV was stolen in Montreal. A Good Samaritan on Facebook helped her get it back
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.