List of losses due to wildfires in the north grows; more evacuations
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) confirmed Sunday evening that 23 camping units and one trapper’s cabin have been lost to the Shoe Fire. There are approximately four cabins that have been lost to the Camp fire as well. The SPSA said it was waiting to confirm final details.
The Shoe fire is burning near Lower Fishing Lake. The uncontained blaze is currently 24,684 hectares in size and previously forced the closure of Narrow Hills Provincial Park and the evacuation of Lower Fishing Lakes and Piprell Lake. In a post on Facebook Saturday, Rainbow Lodge on Piprell Lake said the fire had burnt their storage compound and Tiger Bay campground. East Trout Lake was also evacuated due to the Shoe wildfire threatening a portion of Highway 927. The Saskatchewan Highway Hotline showed highways in the area are closed. East Trout-Nipekamew Lakes Recreation Site is closed and the communities of Whiteswan and Whelan Bay are on pre-evacuation alert. Little Bear Lake was also previously evacuated.
The high winds fuelling the Camp fire burning north of Snowden and near Candle Lake has once again put the Resort Village on pre-evacuation alert. It is the largest fire in the province having charred 44,000 hectares since it started on May 6. The SPSA said part of the action plan on Sunday was for a crew to work in the Smeaton Community Pasture to ‘suppress the flare up and help contain the area near the Bison Ranch.’
Meanwhile, the community of Hall Lake has been evacuated due to the Pisew fire burning near the community which is southwest of La Ronge. The SPSA said on Friday that one structure, a cabin, was lost in that blaze. In a post on social media Sunday, Lac La Ronge Indian Band Chief Tammy Cook-Searson said the Pisew wildfire expanded significantly over the weekend from 4,000 hectares to over 14,000 hectares and is currently located approximately 4.2 kilometers northwest of Hall Lake.
