(Sask. Public Safety Agency)

By Nigel Maxwell

Fire response

Fire crews getting handle on more wildfires; some evacuees returning home

Jul 27, 2021 | 3:00 PM

Tuesday will represent another long day for fire crews in the northern regions of the province, but there is some encouraging news as the number of active wildfires has decreased by 27 in the last 24 hours.

The two main fires of concern are the Harding Fire north of Smeaton, and the Bell fire north of Hudson Bay.

The Harding fire is nearly 200 square kilometers in size (21,750 ha). Ground crews are currently receiving support from both air tankers and helicopters.

In comparison, the Bell fire is over 226 sq. km. in size and is affecting areas including Wildcat Hill Provincial Park; Highway 9 to the east; Highway 55 to the north; and Highway 3 to the south.

Due to the amount of smoke in the area, a special air quality advisory was issued by Environment Canada for the Rural Municipality of Hudson Bay, which includes the Shoal Lake and Red Earth reserves. People travelling through the area have also been advised they may experience limited visibility.

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On a positive note, the Klyne fire west of Southend is now list as contained and evacuated residents began returning home Monday with the exception of those considered medically vulnerable. Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation Chief Karen Bird told paNOW most of community members have been away for two weeks.

“Everybody was getting anxious to go home,” she said, adding in the past 24 hours, she has seen lots of pictures posted on social media with people excited to see a clear blue sky.

The last one of the evacuees, young children under two, Elders and members considered at risk for respiratory issues, are expected to return home Wednesday. In the meantime, the damage is still being assessed. Bird revealed her personal cabin in the Deep Bay area burned down and peoples’ boat covers were damaged by the falling ash.

“We did have our power outages in the community so I haven’t heard if their food was good in their freezers,” she said.

Roughly 1,200 people call Southend home. While Bird expressed her gratitude to both Saskatchewan Wildfire Management and the Red Cross, she said moving forward she would like to see suppression efforts be more proactive as opposed to reactive.

“We need to initial attack these fires so they don’t come so close to home like they did with Southend,” she said.

According to Tuesday’s update from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, there’s now 130 active wildfires in the province — 13 are listed as contained and 13 are listed as not contained.

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nigel.maxwell@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell