By Chelsea Laskowski

Over 1,000 fire evacuees head to Prince Albert

Jun 30, 2015 | 1:41 PM

By Tuesday, weather and smoky conditions hadn’t provided much relief for wildfire crews protecting lives and communities in northern Saskatchewan from massive flames.

No rain has fallen on the many areas around La Loche, La Ronge, and northern communities threatened by fire, but the winds calming down have been a benefit to lessen the flames.

At the same time, it’s difficult for aircrafts to get up in the air and tackle the fires that have been devouring trees and brush.

Scattered showers may land in the fire-stricken areas, and forecasted wind shifts would benefit crews, said Scott Wasylenchuk, Provincial Fire Centre manager with the ministry of environment.

Three major fires – the Egg Fire near La Ronge, Crysto Fire near Weyakwin, and Eli Fire near Wadin Bay and Sucker River – are the main priorities.

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The Egg Fire is nearly 28,000 hectares (ha) in size, or 280 square kilometres (km), which is three times the size of Prince Albert. The Crysto Fire is 7,413 ha, or 74 square km, or about the size of Prince Albert. The Eli Fire 2,290 ha or about 23 square km, which is a bit smaller than Yorkton.

Fire guards are going down to divert the Egg Fire about 20 km west of La Ronge. This involves burning off specific areas of brush, grass and trees in strategic locations in an effort to protect the community.

In total, more than 3,000 people have registered with the province’s Emergency Social Services (ESS) by Tuesday due to mandatory evacuations or health concerns. Those people are receiving services, but there are even more who have left home due to wildfires.

“There are always individuals who may choose to remove themselves if they’re not comfortable, and those folks aren’t always registered with us so likely, the number is higher, because people make their own choices with their own families,” said Karrie Kempf, manager of information and emergency services for social services.

Direct fire threats to communities – including Wadin Bay, Montreal Lake, and Sucker River – have forced entire communities to empty out, while smoke has forced families with young children, respiratory problems, or elderly members to leave home.

In total, more than 1,262 registered people are staying in Prince Albert.

In Prince Albert, the Red Cross has set up cots at Saskatchewan Polytechnic and Carlton Comprehensive High School, with more than 500 people split between them.

“They’re tired, they’re agitated, we’re meeting their basic needs. So no one would categorize a congregate stay as a vacation or anything like that,” Kempf said.

There are about 740 people staying with family and friends in Prince Albert as well.

The evacuees are split mainly between three cities.  In addition to Prince Albert, about 900 people are in Saskatoon and 190 people in North Battleford.

When facilities filled up in Prince Albert and Saskatoon on Monday, about 655 of those people were diverted to Regina. In total, the bus ride from the homes lasted 11 hours, and evacuees are now staying in Evraz Place and the University of Regina.

Kempf is encouraging those with health issues to continue to evacuate, saying space will open up closer to home.

“We’re looking to make sure that we have increased capacity across our three major communities,” she said.

Regina has the most capacity out of all three cities.

With smoky conditions, it’s possible for evacuees to experience some cabin fever.

“Right now we’re trying to limit some of those outdoor activities,” Kempf said.

However, for the most part Tuesday will consist of finishing up the bulk of intake for those arriving in the congregate facilities.

“As we have a better idea how long people will be with us, we’ll start to organize those types of activities,” she said.

claskowski@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @chelsealaskowsk