‘Dynamic situation’ as crews continue to fight wildfires in Saskatchewan, SPSA says

As of Wednesday, 57 wildfires were burning in Saskatchewan with some getting dangerously close to communities.

As most wildfire evacuees from Beauval, Sask. are now able to return to their community, Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) officials say the situation in the province remains dynamic, due largely in part to weather conditions.

Beauval, which narrowly avoided destruction during the recent wildfire flare up, was hastily evacuated as a localized storm system pushed the Muskeg Fire directly towards the community on July 10.

However, fire crews were able to limit the fire to the community’s northern edge. The weather eventually subsided and effectively went around the community – located 340 kilometres north of Prince Albert.

• Mandatory evacuation for Beauval, Sask. to be lifted July 30

The village began evacuating on June 28 with a voluntary order.

Beauval represents around 560 evacuees of the current provincial total of around 3,000.

The community’s local state of emergency is expected to stay in effect until Aug. 6 – meaning priority 1 and 2 individuals, such as elders, children, and those with medical conditions will stay away for now.

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Despite the positive news for evacuees from Beauval, SPSA vice president of operations Steve Roberts said the weather is a major factor in determining their approach going forward.

“The long-term weather, unfortunately, is not going to be favourable. We are not seeing any significant rainfall. We will continue to see the hot, dry weather going forward,” he explained during a media availability on Wednesday afternoon.

Roberts said while high winds will be problematic as it will cause the wildfires to move rapidly, there is also a concern about the shift of winds and the distribution of resources.

“As we focus our efforts in on one area of the fire that’s posing a threat, as we know from the Muskeg Fire, the north end is a threat to one community, but the south end is a threat,” he said.

“So, as we move resources to try and anticipate the wind and the weather and the fire behavior, we have to be prepared to move them back and re-shift our priorities if needed. So that’s going to be the biggest threat.”

Because of the discouraging weather forecast, the provincial fire ban will also remain in effect until further notice, Roberts said.

Additionally, Roberts explained that while crews are able to contain some wildfires, there may be some flare ups that require them to redirect resources, referencing the instances where the Ditch fire flared up next to the highway.

“That is an ongoing effort, considering how many fires we have and how large they are,” he explained. “Without a break in the weather to change that dynamic, it is a constant flow of monitoring, re-engaging, engaging again, reprioritizing, and then we’re back at it again. So, it is a very dynamic situation for the province right now.”

Lt.-Col. Jason Hudson, a land task force commander with the Canadian Armed Forces, explained the military’s role in the SPSA’s fight against wildfires.

“So specifically, what we have done is we have supplied all the hand tools and small pumps and personal protective equipment that’s more suitable for wildfires than typically their normal assignments,” he said.

Lt.-Col. Hudson explained that providing training in advance was a result of a review after the military arrived in Saskatchewan in 2015.

“In 2015, the military arrived and had to spend almost three days in training before they go to the fire line, and because of that, the Department of National Defense shifted their priorities, and now they do their training ongoing,” he said.

“So, when they arrive, they can go right to the fire with a very initial briefing,” he added, noting the military crews that arrived last week were able to join the fire line right away.

Roberts noted that the deadline for provincial disaster assistance has been extended.

As of Wednesday afternoon, there are 57 active wildfires and 11 active evacuations.

Three are contained, 12 are not contained, 27 fires are under assessment and protecting values such as infrastructure are the priority for the remaining 15 blazes.