SASKATOON -- With cooler temperatures expected to aid crews fighting a massive wildfire near Prince Albert, the fire's continued growth still led to a new evacuation order Wednesday mornng.
The order was issued for residents of the Berg subdivision of the RM of Garden River as the fast-moving Cloverdale wildfire moved east away from Prince Albert.
Since it began burning Monday the wildfire has forced families to flee, caused power outages and disrupted phone service.
Prince Albert police said Wednesday that they issued tickets to two people who were allegedly found unlawfully inside the fire perimeter overnight Tuesday.
A man and a woman, who didn’t have a home there, each received a $2,000 ticket, police said in a news release.
“Residents have been evacuated and no one is being allowed to go back into the area at this time for their safety and the safety of first responders working in the area,” the release said.
During an update on the fire, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) operations vice president Steve Roberts said the fire had grown to over 3700 hectares in size.
However, a day after the fire spread into the outskirts of Prince Albert, Roberts said it was moving east into primarily agricultural land.
Roberts said the sudden shift in temperatures Wednesday should help crews contain the fire.
"Those cooler weather trends will be extremely helpful for the crews on the ground for suppression efforts," Roberts said.
While the wind gusts accompanying the cool-down are not ideal, Roberts said the SPSA is watching the forecast closely and incorporating that knowledge into its fire suppression efforts.
No homes have been destroyed by the blaze, according to the SPSA.
Community First Nation fire crews have helped fight fires around guards created by heavy equipment.
As for the roughly 8,000 households still left without power, SaskPower spokesperson Joel Cherry said in an ideal scenario, power could be back on "within a day or so."
"If the conductor wire is in decent shape, and fire conditions don't impede us, we could potentially have the power restored," Cherry said.
Cherry said crews were cleared to enter the fire containment zone this morning.
SaskPower has reported that 15 transmission lines were damaged by the fire.
As of Tuesday's update, SPSA was providing support like food, clothing, shelter and other necessities for about 45 residents in Prince Albert.
“The SPSA continues to respond to the fire with helicopters, ground crews, multiple air tanker groups and heavy equipment - alongside the Prince Albert Fire Department and Buckland Fire Department,” the agency said in a news release sent prior to the media availability.
Prince Albert city firefighters continue to use sprinklers on homes for protection. The city has registered 75 evacuated households.
The SPSA is also contending with the Division Fire south of Smeaton near the North Saskatchewan River.
Six wildfires are active in Saskatchewan, with 114 fires to date this year – up from the five-year average of 93.