'This is a big fire': Raging Sask. wildfire forces further evacuations

Evacuations have been ordered for another northern Saskatchewan community due to heavy wildfire smoke.

In Ile-a-la-Crosse, a mandatory evacuation was ordered Tuesday morning for elderly adults, pregnant women and people with respiratory issues, or families with children two and under.

"We are also advising all other community members to be prepared in the event of a community-wide evacuation," a state of emergency declaration from the village said.

The village advised remaining residents to have their vehicles fueled and bags packed. Charter buses began departing from the community Tuesday afternoon.

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Ile-a-la-Crosse's two schools are closing for the week.

Buckley Belanger, the former long-serving MLA for the region, spoke to CTV News from the road as he headed towards the community.

"The guys at the frontline are doing as much as they can but this is a big fire and it does pose many, many challenges," Belanger

Wildfire has also caused widespread power outages in the area.

"We're seeing families that haven't had power since Mother's Day. Places like La Loche and Buffalo Narrows," he said.

A similar, limited evacuation was ordered in Buffalo Narrows on Sunday.

"There's a lot of stress on people right now and people that leave our communities — don't forget they're leaving their homes behind and we have no power, all your meat in your fridge and in your deep freezer all thawing and rotting," Belanger said.

"This is really a trying time for many of the people in northern Saskatchewan," he said

As of late Tuesday afternoon, there were 28 active wildfires burning in the province, according to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) — including the Shaw fire, which is raging near Ile-a-la-Crosse and Buffalo Narrows.

With no significant rainfall expected, the SPSA says there is extreme fire risk for much of the province, including northern, central and southern areas.

In light of the danger, the province issued fire bans for Crown lands and provincial parks Tuesday morning.

Fire bans were also in place for many areas surrounding Saskatoon including Corman Park, Vanscoy, Eagle Creek and Perdue.

As of Tuesday afternoon, most of the province was under Environment Canada air quality advisories due to wildfire smoke.

The weather agency warned of increased risk for people with lung or heart disease, older adults, children, pregnant women and people who work outdoors.

--With files from Tyler Barrow