This photo was taken of GMB01 near Grandmother's Bay on Thursday. (Submitted photo/Tammy Cook-Searson)

By Derek Cornet

fire update

Several LLRIB communities on standby notice due to wildfire smoke

Jul 15, 2021 | 5:00 PM

The Lac La Ronge Indian Band (LLRIB) communities of Grandmother’s Bay, Hall Lake and Stanley Mission are on standby notice due to smoky conditions.

That’s means the elderly, young children or residents with health conditions affected by bad air quality should be on alert to be evacuated and prepare one week’s work of medication, clothing and infant formula if needed. So far, 144 people have already voluntarily evacuated Grandmother’s Bay and are staying at hotels in La Ronge and Prince Albert.

According to LLRIB Chief Tammy Cook-Searson, four coach buses are sitting in Otter Lake and are ready to evacuate residents at a moment’s notice. There are no mandatory evacuation order in place for band members.

“We are working with Red Cross on securing accommodations and it looks like everything is pretty booked up in Prince Albert and Saskatoon,” she said.

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Cook-Searson was able to observe the wildfires affecting Grandmother’s Bay and Stanley Mission via helicopter this morning. The GMB01 Fire is currently 1,510 hectares and the Mule Fire near Stanley Mission is 380 hectares.

The LLRIB is also watching the Doug Fire near Hall Lake and the Rabbit Fire near Highway 2 North by the junction to Pinehouse Lake. The road from the Grandmother’s Bay junction to Southend has repeatedly opened and closed, so motorists should check the Highway Hotline before travelling.

Fire investigated at Nut Point

Another fire also broke out Wednesday at the Nut Point Campground in the Lac La Ronge Provincial Park. It was targeted by the air before the Lac La Ronge Regional Fire Department attended to the scene where they stayed for two hours.

“Our firefighters on the department responded to this call as the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) wildfire crews were stretched thin,” fire chief Keaton Cloud said. “Our firefighters put out hotspots, while SPSA had a skimmer and helicopter working on the fire from above.”

Nut Point is one of the park’s most busiest campgrounds and tourists were temporarily evacuated. At this time, Cloud added it hasn’t been determined what caused the fire.

As of July 15, there are 129 active fires in Saskatchewan with 367 to date. That’s more than 150 above the province’s five-year average.

The fire risk across Saskatchewan remains high to extreme and the SPSA isn’t expecting any significant precipitation to assist in containing the fires in the next couple of days. A provide-wide fire ban remains in affect until further notice.

–

derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno