Sask. wildfire crews 'stretched' by hot start to season
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) says it’s looking to give provincial fire crews a break, but the fires raging in Nova Scotia and Alberta mean that respite could be in short supply.
“It has been challenging,” said Steve Roberts, SPSA vice-president of operations. “[The fires] have stretched our capacity to some extent.”
Roberts said the SPSA has a request out to check for the availability of out-of-province crews, but they’re cautiously optimistic about how many may be available.
“We know those might be tight now because of what’s happening in Nova Scotia and Alberta right now,” Roberts said in a media briefing Thursday morning.
Weather conditions have improved recently, with rain Wednesday night helping contain a 55-hectare fire in the community of Turnor Lake, but Roberts says the agency would like to be able to let its crews and volunteers take a break.
“This fire won’t be over anytime soon. We have a full season in front of us.”
There are currently no crews from outside the province working in Saskatchewan, SPSA says. Last week, the agency contracted some water bombers out of Quebec but they have since returned.
Roberts says the SPSA predominantly contracts locals from the community to run heavy equipment in support of its fire suppression efforts.
While rain has helped suppress the Turnor Lake fire, just west of there some residents in La Loche have been ordered to evacuate a second time as a wildfire on its eastern outskirts has reignited.
Those with a high risk of health complications from smoke have been ordered out, with a voluntary evacuation order for the rest of the village.
SPSA says crews are working to set up hose lines along the northwest corner of the fire, and helicopters are delivering buckets of water to that area of concern. A water bladder will also be set up along Highway 955, which leads north out of the community.
At-risk individuals are also being evacuated from the area around Dillon, St. George’s Hill, Michel Village, Patuanak and English River First Nation, SPSA says.
A fire southeast of Pinehouse Lake has caused the evacuation of the Besnard Correctional Camp, and those living at Deschambault Lake have also been forced to evacuate due to a 9,000 hectare fire south of the area. The SPSA says good progress is being made on that fire.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.